Week 13 2025 Retail Parks Performance Update: Harnessing Location Analytics

This week's update provides an in-depth look at the latest performance metrics of UK Retail Parks amid evolving visitor engagement patterns. Leveraging cutting-edge location intelligence data from The Benchmark, the report highlights both weekly improvements and ongoing challenges compared with previous benchmarks.

Overall Performance

The analysis reveals that UK Retail Parks recorded an average daily footfall of 17,100 in Week 13, marking a weekly increase of 5.5% compared to the previous week. However, this improvement is tempered by a significant 15.1% decline from the same period last year. Meanwhile, visitors spent an average of 78 minutes at these parks, with dwell time increasing by a healthy 9.9% over the week, underscoring a trend of enhanced visitor engagement.

Regional Analysis

The performance metrics vary considerably across different regions of the UK:

• In Wales, retail parks experienced an average daily footfall of 14,900, recording a 9.2% increase on a weekly basis. These parks, however, saw an 11.6% decline compared to the previous year, with average dwell times holding steady at 63 minutes despite the yearly decrease.
• In England, figures were slightly higher with an average daily footfall of 17,500 and a weekly growth of 5.9%. Although there was a 14% drop annually, the data shows improvement with an increasing dwell time averaging 78 minutes and a weekly growth of 9.9%.
• Scottish retail parks presented a different picture with an average footfall of 14,600, recording a modest weekly decline of 1.8% alongside a significant year‐on‐year downturn. Despite lower footfall, Scottish visitors' engagement appears strong, as indicated by a longer average dwell time of 86 minutes and a weekly increase of 6.2%, accompanied by a sharp annual rise in visit duration.

Industry Comment

Industry experts, including Joe Capocci, spokesperson for Huq Industries, noted that the contrasting trends between regions are noteworthy. "The most striking change in our data is the notable decline in footfall in Scotland contrasted with robust gains in other regions," said Capocci. This sentiment was mirrored by recent retail industry news, which underlined various expansion initiatives by major retailers that could be influencing these regional differences.

The insights presented in this update underscore the importance of harnessing location analytics to drive footfall and improve visitor engagement, providing valuable guidance for retailers navigating an evolving market landscape.

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