UK retailers punished by soaring temperatures in July

The UK saw total footfall decline in July, with the searing heat being identified as a key contributing factor.

Footfall was down -2.1% year-on-year (YoY) according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Sensormatic data, with high street footfall down -3.8% and shopping centre footfall down -1.4%.

Of the home nations, England suffered the most (-3% YoY), with Scotland and Northern Ireland up and Wales flat. 

“The heatwave continued to bear down on retail footfall in July, with high streets worst affected,” said BRC CEO Helen Dickinson. “London was hit particularly hard [-5.3% YoY] as soaring temperatures made tube and train travel less attractive, with some commuters and shoppers opting to stay home. 

“Nonetheless, it was still an improvement on the previous month’s figures, when record-breaking sunshine saw footfall fall by an even bigger margin.”

Dickinson also made the point that UK retailers are not being supported by the government in efforts to make the in-store experience more pleasant in increasingly common hot temperatures. “Climate change continues to deliver more and more extreme temperatures in the UK. 

“Retailers are responding by investing in both mitigations — such as more air conditioning and more efficient refrigeration units — and in sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions. 

“Unfortunately, business rates often punish stores for such investments, showing the need for government to look again at this broken system.”