Week 39, 2025 Shopping Centres Performance Update – Insights from Location Analytics

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UK shopping centres recorded a modest overall improvement in footfall during the latest full week, as revealed by detailed location analytics. With an average daily visitor count of 36,700, centres experienced a week-on-week increase of 5.9% and a year-on-year jump of 4.2%. However, the average visit duration fell to 104 minutes, indicating that while more people are visiting, they are spending less time in the centres.

A regional breakdown of performance highlights notable differences. In Wales, centres attracted an average of 12,700 visitors daily, showing an 8.4% year-on-year rise although the previous week noted a marked drop, with engagement waning as indicated by a shorter average dwell time of just 52 minutes. Scotland’s centres, on the other hand, saw an average daily footfall of 33,100 despite a 7.6% week-on-week decline; however, there was a robust annual increase, and visitors spent about 106 minutes on average – longer than last year, even though weekly engagement dropped.

England’s shopping centres demonstrated a steadier performance, with 38,400 daily visitors on average. Here, footfall increased by 7.1% week-on-week and by 1.7% year-on-year, while the average visit duration held at 106 minutes, although experiencing a slight decline of 5.4% on both a weekly and annual basis.

Industry commentary from Joe Capocci, spokesperson for Huq Industries, underscored the broader retail dynamics: "Observing the sharp annual increase in footfall in regions like Scotland, alongside industry developments in major centre sales, underscores the evolving dynamics of our retail landscape." This update reflects the complex mix of growing visitor numbers against a backdrop of diminished visit durations, highlighting the challenges faced by shopping centres in engaging modern consumers.

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