Uk High Streets Bounce Back In 2011

Jan. 9, 2012 - PRLog -- UK HIGH STREETS BOUNCE BACK IN 2011

UK footfall declines by the lowest recorded rate in five years as consumers ‘Shop Local’

Festive sales fever boosts December footfall YOY by +5.1%, the first annual increase in December since 2006

Today Springboard – the UK’s leading retail footfall provider monitoring 85 UK town centres and high streets – reports that UK High Streets experienced just a -1.1% drop in footfall in 2011 compared with -3.5% for  the previous year. Despite year-round negative news from retailers, footfall on UK high streets declined at the lowest rate in five years and suggests that the decline is bottoming out following the steep post-recession drops.

Springboard’s National High Street Index Annual Review revealed the UK’s first annual increase in footfall for the month of December since the NHSI was first launched five years ago with footfall soaring by +5.1% year-on-year. This substantial increase can be attributed to three key factors; the adverse weather conditions in December 2010 (resulting in an annual footfall decline of -11.2%), the extra weekend of Christmas trading and rush of spend conscious consumers encouraged by the significant price reductions offered by major retailers following a late start to festive shopping.

The report further identifies that the High Street’s resilience can be attributed to a growing trend for consumers to ‘shop local’ with shoppers choosing to shop within their local catchment area and support local businesses. Consequently, shoppers visited regional cities less frequently as they avoid petrol, transport and parking costs and footfall to these cities dropped by -4.2% year-on-year.  

Additionally, coastal towns also benefited from this ‘shop local’ mood, experiencing a further annual uplift in footfall of +2.3% following an increase of +5.7% in 2010. Another factor for this coastal town gain was the significant investment made by many to diversify their offering, improve facilities and maximise on the ‘staycation’ in order to recoup visitor numbers.  


Diane Wehrle, Research Director at Springboard, comments: “Overall, 2011 has been a more positive year for the UK High Street than initially anticipated and we have seen the first real sign of significant annual turnaround due to a strong December and a growing trend for consumers to ‘shop local’. However, in turn, this has affected footfall to the major regional cities as shoppers continue to feel the pinch.”

Steve Booth, CEO of Springboard, adds: “Despite the challenges that the UK High Street faces, the encouraging December footfall figure and the relatively static level of footfall throughout the year indicates that there may be light at the end of the tunnel. It is important to note that this gradual rise in footfall does not necessarily mean that shoppers are spending but it does mean retailers have an increased sales opportunity.

“While Springboard figures show the High Street is managing to maintain shoppers, the challenge is getting them to spend; what will be interesting to see is how national events and holidays such as the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee will impact footfall and spend in 2012.”

Summary Review - 2011 VS. 2010
•   In 2011 footfall across the UK declined by the lowest recorded rate for five years (-1.1%).  This shows a substantial improvement compared to the annual decline of -3.5% recorded for 2010.
•   The year ended positively in footfall terms for UK high streets with an overall increase (YOY) of 5.1% in December.  This is the first annual increase in December since the NHSI was first published (2006).
•   Regional cities have seen a greater decline in footfall than in towns in the UK as a whole in 2011.
•   Footfall in Coastal towns increased by 6% in December from December 2010, with a 2.3% increase for the year as a whole.  In every month during 2011 footfall trends in Coastal Towns were more favourable than those for the UK as a whole.



-ENDS-

PRESS ENQUIRIES:   Cat O’Donnell and Oonagh Spence, Rain Communications – 0207 828 0118
Firstname.surname@raincommunications.co.uk  

Notes to Eds:
Springboard is the leading provider of automated footfall monitoring services for entire range of customer generating environments including the UK’s high streets, retail parks and shopping centres. Springboard’s data tracker gathers footfall counts continuously, 24 hours a day, across 85 UK towns and cities with 24,888 hourly counts a day, 174,216 a week and 696,864 a month. Springboard’s National High Street Index, published in collaboration with the Association of Town Centre Management, provides the only available measure of town centre performance. More information about the ATCM can be found at www.atcm.org