Retail Parks Week 39, 2024: Footfall Dips in East Midlands

Retail Parks in the UK have seen varied performance in terms of footfall, dwell time, and weekday visitation across different regions, according to the latest footfall data from Huq Industries for the week ending September 29, 2024.

Retail Parks Daily Footfall

In the East Midlands, the average daily footfall has slightly decreased compared to the last 12 months, while the average visit dwell time has seen a reduction over the same period. Conversely, in the West Midlands, there has been a notable increase in average daily footfall compared to the last 12 months, although weekday visitation has decreased significantly year on year.

Wales and London have experienced increases in average visit dwell time compared to the previous year. However, both regions have seen a decrease in working weekday visitation shares year on year.

In the North East, there has been a positive trend in average daily footfall year on year, and the region also shows an increase in working weekday visitation share compared to the last 12 months. Meanwhile, the South East has faced challenges with a decrease in average daily footfall year on year and a reduction in weekday visitation share.

The footfall statistics also identify specific retail centres that have performed exceptionally well or poorly. For instance, Northside Retail Park in Leeds and Sears Retail Park in Solihull have seen strong increases in footfall, while Ladymead Retail Park in Guildford and Gemini Retail Park in Warrington have experienced notable declines year on year.

Market Outlook

Based on the direction of the latest footfall data and trends observed this time last year, the coming four weeks may see continued variability in footfall across UK retail parks, for example, the West Midlands will sustain their growth in footfall.