England Sees Town Centre Footfall Decline While Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales Record Growth

Place Informatics, the UK’s leading provider of footfall and visitor behaviour data, has released its latest national report for September 2024, revealing significant regional differences in footfall performance across the UK. The report highlights that Northern Ireland (+2.3%), Scotland (+1.59%), and Wales (+1.57%) all posted year-on-year growth, but England experienced a -2.2% decline, with its southern regions suffering the most substantial decreases.

Nationally, UK footfall in September 2024 increased by 4.49% compared to August 2024. However, year-on-year performance was down by -1.93%. Retail parks showed resilience, with a 3.0% year-on-year increase, while shopping centres experienced a smaller rise of 0.6%.

According to the report, Northern Ireland led the way with a 2.3% increase in footfall compared to September 2023, followed by Scotland with a 1.59% rise and Wales with a 1.57% boost. However, England recorded a notable -2.2% year-on-year drop, with the South West (-3.96%), the South East (-3.18%), and East Anglia (-3.34%) seeing the sharpest declines. These regions had all posted strong performances in 2023, making this year’s downturn particularly impactful.

Clive Hall, CEO of Place Informatics, commented, “Footfall slipped back into a year-on-year decline in September compared to a positive increase in August as the month saw unsettled weather across the UK. Bad weather may be a key factor with rainfall being above average with the South East recording 233% of their annual rainfall. Gloucestershire, Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire recorded their wettest September on record. This contrasts with Scotland and Northern Ireland which experienced a relatively dry and sunny month.

The recent Barclays UK Consumer Spend Report showed a more positive trend for September with a 2.7% rise in non-essential spending, following a 4.0% increase in 2023. Clothing purchases jumped by 22% compared to August, and department store sales increased by 5.5% year-on-year. These positive trends come on the back of strong promotional activity and retailer discounting to attract customers.”

However, consumer confidence remains a concern, having dropped from -13% in August to -20% in September. With the looming budget announcement and economic uncertainties, retailers are keenly monitoring these trends.”

As businesses await the UK government’s upcoming budget on October 30th, Place Informatics’ footfall data will remain crucial to understanding and responding to visitor behaviour shifts across regions.