Benchmark

Week 16 2025 Major Retail Centres Performance Update – Location Analytics Insight

UK Major Retail Centres saw modest increases in footfall (3.6%) and dwell time (2.7%), indicating steady engagement. Our location analytics data and location intelligence evidence rising trends.

Joe Capocci

Head of Growth @ huq

May 1, 2025

2 min read

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Week 16 2025 Major Retail Centres Performance Update – Location Analytics Insight

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Overview

The latest figures from The Benchmark provide a clear view into the performance of UK Major Retail Centres for the week ending 27 April 2025. Centres across the UK registered an overall average daily footfall of 77,300, marking modest progress with a 3.6% increase week on week and a 7.6% rise compared to the same week last year.

Complementing these visitor numbers, the average dwell time per visit held at 115 minutes, with slight week on week and year on year increases of 2.7% and 3.6% respectively. These figures indicate consistent visitor engagement with the retail environments. These insights, underpinned by location intelligence, guide industry strategies.

Regional Analysis

A closer examination of regional performance reveals some interesting contrasts. In England, the average daily footfall reached 76,300 with moderate improvements both on a week on week basis (3.1%) and when compared to last year (6.6%), while visitors maintained an average duration of 115 minutes. In-depth location intelligence further clarifies these developments.

Scotland’s retail centres outperformed the overall benchmark with an impressive average daily footfall of 91,900, alongside week on week and year on year gains of 5.9% and 9.2% respectively; however, there was a slight softening in visit duration week on week, even though the year on year uplift reached 7.5%. Conversely, Wales, with an overall lower average daily footfall of 64,100, experienced a particularly strong week on week rebound of 16.1% and recorded an average visit duration of 103 minutes, which saw a robust week on week increase of 9.6% despite a notable decline in the comparison with the previous year. Supplementary location intelligence data reinforces these performance contrasts.

Industry Comment

“Both the marked week on week uplift we observed in Wales and the recent retail industry news highlighting major developments, such as new store openings and redevelopments, underscore the continued resilience within our retail sector,” said Joe Capocci, Huq Industries spokesperson.

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.