Weekly footfall sees decline as rising energy costs take hold

Footfall across the UK saw a marginal decline last week, as compared to the week before, as concerns surrounding rising energy prices begin to take hold into October.

According to a report by Springboard, for week 40, spanning Oct 2 to 8, the decline was driven by drops in footfall at both shopping centres and retail parks.

However, the software company said high street footfall had risen very slightly, as performance was variable for all three key destination types.

The report found there were drops of more than minus two percent in some parts of the UK, with an overall decline of minus 0.2 percent week-on-week.

Springboard said there was a particularly large decline on Wednesday in high streets and shopping centres, but cited inclement weather as the potential cause.

Additionally, footfall had dropped in all but three UK geographies for the week, contrasting that of the previous week which saw footfall rise universally across all areas of the region.

The report noted that while it was premature to predict definitive conclusions, the drop in footfall could be linked to the impact higher energy costs are having on consumers.

The price increase came into effect October 1 and could already be causing shoppers to tighten their wallets.