UK: Weekly footfall grows as high streets entice shoppers

Footfall for week eight of 2025 rose across all UK retail destinations for the fourth consecutive week, as a change in weather conditions enticed shoppers to locations around the country.

While overall footfall rose 8.2 percent from February 16 to 22, high streets led the charge with the strongest week-on-week increase at 11.6 percent, according to data from MRI Software. This was followed by a 9 percent uptick in footfall at shopping centres, though contrasted just a marginal increase of 0.1 percent at retail parks.

MRI said an increase in daily footfall seen throughout the week “coincided with a change in weather conditions”, with double-digit rises at high streets and shopping centres on three out of the seven days “suggesting shoppers were out in full force making the most of the half term activities”.

Annually, footfall levels “remained higher across the board”, data showed, though MRI noted that the shift in timings of this year’s half term “may have influenced these trends”.

Compared to historic and coastal towns, Central London welcomed the strongest WoW and YoY rises, possibly driven by an influx of visitors to the capital during the half term. Historic and coastal towns still performed well, however, with upticks of 15.8 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively.

Regionally, East of England and Greater London reported the strongest footfall at 11.3 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively, while Scotland saw the sharpest drop at 4.4 percent compared to the week prior and 1.1 percent from 2024 levels.