Benchmark

UK Shopping Centres – Week 23, 2025 Performance Update: Location Analytics Insights

UK shopping centres maintained stable performance with modest footfall increases and consistent dwell times, reflecting robust footfall performance and location analytics insights.

Joe Capocci

Head of Growth @ huq

June 19, 2025

2 min read

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UK Shopping Centres – Week 23, 2025 Performance Update: Location Analytics Insights

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UK shopping centres have continued to perform steadily, with overall visitor numbers and dwell times reflecting a stable retail environment, even as regional variations offer deeper insights into local consumer behavior.

Overview

During the latest full week, total performance across the UK shopping centres has held nearly constant with an average daily footfall of 33,700 – a modest improvement compared to the previous week while remaining consistent with figures from the same period last year. Visitors spent an average of 116 minutes per visit. Although there was a slight weekly decline in dwell time, the yearly analysis shows that consumer engagement remains resilient.

Regional Breakdown

Wales: Exhibiting the most dramatic shifts, Welsh centres recorded an impressive average daily footfall of 17,400. This increase is significant when compared not only to the previous week but also to last year. However, this surge in visitor numbers has been accompanied by a decline in the average visit duration, which dropped to 45 minutes. The week-on-week and year-on-year falls in dwell time suggest that while more people are visiting, their engagement levels per visit are decreasing.

Scotland: Scottish shopping centres experienced a decrease in visitor activity, with an average daily footfall falling to 24,300 – a roughly 15% drop relative to the previous week. Although dwell time also dropped proportionally to 70 minutes, year-over-year metrics show more moderate fluctuations, indicating a steady yet challenged consumer engagement landscape in the region.

England: In contrast, England’s centres remained strong, achieving the highest average daily visitors at 35,800. A modest increase in weekly figures and a notable annual rise underscore improved consumer confidence and engagement. The average dwell time in England was recorded at 124 minutes, buttressed by strong location analytics data and targeted engagement strategies.

Industry Comment

Joe Capocci, spokesperson for Huq Industries, noted: "The striking increase in Welsh footfall, which aligns with recent retail industry news, highlights the evolving consumer landscape that necessitates tailored strategies to maintain engagement." This comment reflects a broader industry attention shift towards dynamic location analytics to effectively navigate and strategize in a changing retail environment.

Overall, the steady performance of UK shopping centres, despite regional disparities, reaffirms the importance of local insights in shaping consumer engagement strategies across the sector.

Media: For all media and press enquiries, please contact media@huq.io

Day Part Visitation
Dwell Time Data
Footfall Data

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About Huq Industries

Huq Industries is the leading provider of location intelligence across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East, specialising in delivering high-quality data insights on footfall, consumer behaviour, and retail performance. By leveraging advanced analytics and an expansive data network, Huq Industries enables retailers and analysts to understand and respond to market trends effectively, ensuring they are well-equipped to navigate the changing landscape of high street and town centre commerce.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Clear answers to the most common questions about movement intelligence, retail expansion, and location analytics.

How does movement intelligence differ from traditional market research?
Traditional market research relies on surveys, demographics and historical reports. huq's movement intelligence uses real-world behavioural data to reveal where people go, how long they stay and how locations perform, giving teams a live picture of consumer activity.
Can movement data help benchmark locations against competitors?
Yes. Compare stores, shopping centres, town centres or developments against competing locations using consistent metrics such as footfall, dwell time, catchment, visit frequency and commercial performance.
How often is movement data updated?
huq refreshes behavioural intelligence daily, allowing organisations to monitor changes in visitor activity, market trends and location performance with near real-time visibility.
Which industries benefit from movement intelligence?
Retail, real estate, financial services, government, BIDs, investors and property owners all use huq to make smarter location, investment and regeneration decisions backed by behavioural evidence.
Can huq feed our models directly?
Yes. huq data is available through APIs, data exports and structured datasets, making it easy to integrate into internal dashboards, analytics platforms and quantitative research workflows.
What markets and history are covered?
huq provides extensive UK coverage with years of historical behavioural data and daily updates. Customers can analyse long-term trends, benchmark locations and monitor market changes with confidence.