Retailers warn of fragile confidence among shoppers after figures show that the number of visitors to UK’s main streets, shopping malls and parks last month remained 12.5% below pre-market levels. pandemic.
The shift to work from home and concerns about the cost of living continue to slow trade, with a reduction of more than a quarter of visits to shopping malls compared to 2019, while main streets were 14% fewer visitors.
Scotland, Wales, the North East of England and London fared worse than the East Midlands and the North West of England, according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) traffic monitor. collaboration with the buyer monitoring operator Sensormatic Solutions.
The declines marked a slight improvement over the April figures, and the main streets saw a particularly strong recovery.
The number of visitors also rose sharply from last year, averaging 19% in all types of destinations, as the warm, sunny weather and the prospect of the upcoming jubilee celebrations helped boost sales.
Helen Dickinson, executive director of the BRC, which represents most of the UK’s largest retailers, said: people bought in person.
“The anticipation for the jubilee celebrations offered an extra boost to the turnout, with the public going to the shops to find the best decorations and festive food and drink for the long weekend.”
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He added: “Improving traffic is still fragile as the cost of living bites. With falling UK discretionary revenue, government financial support to deal with rising energy costs only “It can provide temporary respite for households. As inflation continues to rise and consumer confidence falls, it is by no means certain that traffic will continue to improve in the coming months.”
Sensormatic Solutions’ Andy Sumpter said the UK’s main streets were recovering more strongly than other G7 countries, with a 20% drop in traffic in Germany and Italy in May and almost France. 22%.
However, Sumpter warned: “With households already beginning to feel the pinch of rising cost of living and growing inflationary pressures, retailers will expect cracks in the recovery of traffic not to begin to appear. as they look to June, retailers will expect main streets to be reunited with jubilee weekend celebrations and the event to spark buyer traffic and retail spending. “