Weekly Wrap: UK Retail Footfall Insights: Week Ending January 4, 2025

Recent footfall data from Huq Industries highlights nuanced trends in footfall, dwell time, and weekday visitation across the UK as of the week ending October 13, 2024.

Daily Footfall by Retail Centre Type

Local Retail Centres

In the North East, the footfall data reveals a consistent upward trend, contributing positively to local retail dynamics. The South West, however, shows a different story with a decrease in footfall, reflecting potential challenges in the retail sector there. The East Midlands’ increase in dwell time year on year underscores a growing consumer engagement, which are crucial insights for retail strategy. Read more about Local Retail Centres Footfall Report.

Shopping Centres

In the North East, despite a slight week-on-week decrease in footfall, the region has seen a strong increase compared to the same period last year. Dwell time in shopping centres saw a slight decrease from the previous week. The working weekday visitation share is also down from the previous week. Read more about Shopping Centres Footfall Report.

Major Retail Centres

North East shows a modest year-on-year increase in footfall while Wales exhibits a significant rise. Dwell times, indicating how long visitors stay at a location, have also seen varied changes. The South West, for example, experienced a notable increase in dwell time, reflecting perhaps a more engaging retail environment or improved consumer confidence. Weekday visitation shares, a metric crucial for understanding peak shopping times, have generally increased across most regions, with the North West showing a particularly strong uptick. Read more about Footfall Data Surge in Wales.

High Streets & Town Centres

The West Midlands saw a notable increase in average daily footfall year on year, while the average visit dwell time in this region also increased significantly. Conversely, the East Midlands experienced a sharp decline in footfall year on year. Read more about High Streets & Town Centres Footfall Report.

Retail Parks

Scotland has recorded a notable increase in average daily footfall year-on-year, demonstrating a robust recovery in retail activity. Conversely, the South East and Wales have experienced declines in footfall, reflecting varying consumer confidence across regions. Read more about Retail Parks Footfall Report.

Market Outlook

Looking ahead, the direction of the latest data and trends from the same period last year suggest that regions like the North East might continue to see growth in footfall, whereas areas like the South West could face further challenges. These insights are essential for forecasting and planning in the retail sector, helping businesses adapt to changing consumer patterns.

Partner with Huq

Track consumer footfall and spend dynamics across your store network using Huq data and compare to your own sales data. Gain insights into crucial questions such as ‘are we out-performing the market’, ‘where our similar locations for new store growth’, and ‘how healthy is this retail centre’.

If you are interested in basing your location insights to actual consumer behaviour then please connect with our team.