Shoppers abandon trips to the high street at faster pace in May
UK high streets and shopping centres faced mounting pressure in May as shoppers made fewer visits to their stores.
Footfall dropped by one per cent in May compared with the same time last year, according to new figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard.
This was greater than the 0.8 per cent fall in April and below the three-month average, which was down 0.5 per cent.
Out-of-town locations fared the best with a 1.4 per cent increase in footfall. However, this was offset by a two per cent decline at shopping centres and a 1.5 per cent fall in visitors to the high street.
BRC director general Helen Dickinson said: “Today’s figures show the rate of decline in shopper numbers on our high streets and in shopping centres has slightly increased. Local government, town centre managers and retailers will need to continue to work together to refine their high street offer and give customers practical, positive reasons to return.”