UK shopper numbers still 53% lower after shops reopen
The latest figures released by the British Retail Consortium show that shoppers were still cautious about returning to the high street even after non-essential stores were allowed to reopen in England on 15 June.
Shopper numbers were still 53% lower in the second half of June compared to a year earlier.
That compares to a 77% drop in footfall over the first two weeks when only essential shops were open in England.
Overall, footfall was down 62.6% in June, year-on-year. That is a 19 percentage point improvement from May.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said:
With lockdown measures easing, consumers are slowly re-emerging onto their high streets, shopping centres and retail parks. Footfall levels are still well below pre-coronavirus levels; however, the decline was softer than it was in May thanks to the reopening of non-essential stores on 15 June.
However, she said that the government should be prepared to “step in” and consider further measures to boost demand for retailers like a wider VAT cut:
The chancellor’s economic update earlier this week provided critical interventions to protect jobs and incomes for households across the UK. We hope that some of the generous measures taken to support the hospitality industry will benefit footfall for retailers who are in close proximity to restaurants, bars and cafés.
However, unless footfall returns to UK streets, Government must be prepared to step in and take further action to boost demand, such as widening the VAT cut to include retail goods.
