Spring is sprung as footfall on the British high street grows in March

Despite ongoing media negativity, mainly down to the war in the Middle East, the British shopper showed some resilience in March with high street footfall bouncing back.

On the high street, there was a 2% year-on-year increase in footfall in March, up from a 5.4% decrease for the same comparison in February.  

Retail park and shopping centre footfall also grew, at 2.5% and 2.6% respectively. This was a buoyant change after a respective drop of 3.1% and 5.5% in February on the same period. 

These figures fed into a total increase of 2.4% year-on-year, an improvement from the total 4.7% drop in February. 

By nation the British Retail Consortium detailed how all nations contributed to the positive impact, with Wales growing by 1.6%, England by 2.3%, Scotland by 3.2% and Northern Ireland delivering 4.9%.

However, all may not be as it seems as this year’s March figures benefitted from an Easter boost. Easter was in April last year meaning without the added footfall, March may not make for as pretty reading, something Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic was keen to highlight. 

Reflecting on the figures, he said: “March brought a welcome return to growth for UK retail footfall, with total retail rising by +2.4% – the first positive month in nearly a year. On the surface, this marks an encouraging shift in momentum, however, the improvement needs to be viewed in context.

“Much of March’s uplift was driven by an Easter boost, with Easter week falling into this year’s March trading period. Last year’s comparison was also relatively weak due to the later timing of Easter, amplifying the apparent growth. Without the final week’s Easter bump, March would likely have remained in negative territory – raising questions over how April may perform, particularly against much stronger comparables last year.”

He added: “Ongoing pressures continue to shape consumer behaviour. Declining confidence, geopolitical uncertainty and rising living costs – especially fuel – are still encouraging caution and fewer discretionary trips. March’s return to growth is a step in the right direction, but the real test will be whether footfall can hold once the Easter boost passes and tougher comparisons return.”