Benchmark

Week 16 2025 High Streets & Town Centres Report: Insights from Footfall Retail Data

UK High Streets & Town Centres continue to attract visitors with steady engagement, as data shows modest week‑on‑week improvement and gradually rising footfall, backed by modern analytics and evolving regional trends.

Joe Capocci

Head of Growth @ huq

May 1, 2025

2 min read

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Week 16 2025 High Streets & Town Centres Report: Insights from Footfall Retail Data

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In the latest week of footfall retail data, UK High Streets and Town Centres recorded an average daily footfall of 31,600, representing a modest week‑on‑week improvement and a steady year‑on‑year increase. Visitors are also staying longer, with an average dwell time of 100 minutes per visit, following a modest weekly boost and maintaining a long‑term upward trend.

Robust footfall analytics underpinned these observations, and the reliability of modern footfall counting techniques has further validated the consistency in visitor numbers across UK centres.

Regional analysis reveals distinct performance variations. England's high streets achieved an average daily footfall of 32,400, with dwell time remaining consistent at 100 minutes per visit. In Scotland, despite a lower overall footfall of 26,500, there was a sharper weekly increase in visitor numbers combined with a slight rise in dwell time to 102 minutes, indicating stronger visitor engagement. Conversely, Welsh high streets recorded an average of 17,200 daily visitors, with a slightly lower average dwell time of 92 minutes. While visitor numbers in Wales are growing gradually both weekly and annually, the reduction in dwell time suggests differing engagement dynamics compared to other regions.

Industry observations add further insight. Joe Capocci, spokesperson for Huq Industries, commented, "The most striking change in footfall is seen in Scotland with a sharp increase in weekly numbers, and recent retail industry news regarding high street closures supports our observation of varied performance across the UK."

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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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.
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