Total UK footfall in 2024 was down 2.2% compared with 2023 according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Footfall decreased year-on-year for all four nations, with Scotland falling by 1.5%, England by 2.1%, Wales by 2.6%, while Northern Ireland experienced the biggest decline at 5.8%.
Alongside this, total UK footfall decreased by 2.2% in December (YoY), up from -4.5% in November.
High street footfall decreased by 2.7% in December, up from -3.7% in November.
Furthermore, shopping centre footfall decreased by 3.3% in December, up from -6.1% in November.
However, retail park footfall stood unchanged at 0.0% in December, up from -1.1% in November.
Helen Dickinson, BRC CEO, said: “A drab December which saw fewer shoppers in all locations, capped a disappointing year for UK retail footfall. This means 2024 is the second year in a row where footfall has been in decline.
“High streets and shopping centres were hit particularly hard throughout the year as people veered towards retail parks to take advantage of free parking and the variety of larger stores. Even the Golden Quarter, typically the peak of shopping activity, provided little relief, with footfall down over the period. While the Black Friday weekend delivered more promising results, they were overshadowed by a lacklustre festive season.”
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic, added: “While December saw some flurries of festive footfall around a few key trading days, overall, the picture was filled with much less sparkle as shopper traffic remained subdued in what should have been the highlight of the Golden Quarter. While store visits did build ahead of Christmas, it was never quite enough to reverse the shopper count deficit against last year.
“As footfall limped towards the festive finish line, December’s lacklustre performance compounds a disappointing end to 2024, marking the second consecutive year of declining store traffic. Retailers will now need to look afresh to 2025 and chart a course to adopt innovative strategies to reverse this trend or maximise the sales potential of fewer visitors, finding new ways to make each store visit count.”
