Footfall in shopping centres grew by 7.2% in April. Credit: Benjamin Elliott on Unsplash.

The UK retail sector has experienced a 7.2% year-on-year (YoY) decline in footfall in April 2024, as reported by the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Sensormatic IQ.  

This marks a steeper decrease compared to a decline of 1.3% observed in March this year. 

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During the four weeks ending 27 April 2024, high street locations witnessed a 6.9% drop in footfall, compared to a 1.5% decline in March.  

In contrast, shopping centres experienced a 7.2% increase in footfall, although this was a decline from the 0.3% growth seen in March this year. 

Retail Parks also saw a decrease, with footfall falling by 6.2% year-on-year.  

During the month, all UK nations reported reduced footfall in April.  

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Scotland saw the smallest decrease at 3.6% YoY, followed by England with footfall decreased by 7.4%.  

Wales registered a footfall decline of 8.1% in April, and Northern Ireland, experiencing the most significant drop at 11.1% YoY. 

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “While UK footfall was impacted by poor weather last month, this was artificially exacerbated by the comparison with 2023, when Easter was in April. 

“All locations saw declines on the previous month, and nearly all major cities performed similarly poorly. However, there was good news in Edinburgh, where footfall was positive once again owing to the investment in local shopping locations in the Scottish capital over the past few years. 

“It is now vital that elected councillors, mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners all play their part in designing the right planning, transport and neighbourhood safety policies to create thriving shopping destinations in communities across the country.”