Skip to main content

Numbers of Boxing Day shoppers 41% below pre-pandemic levels, figures show

// Footfall at shopping sites across the UK on Boxing Day was 41% below the 2019 level,
// Shoppers were less inclined to visit shops in London than in 2019 thanks to the Omicron variant

The numbers of in-person Boxing Day shoppers fell to almost half of pre-pandemic levels.

Footfall at shopping sites across the UK on Boxing Day was 41 per cent below the 2019 level, data from industry analyst Springboard shows.

Shops on Boxing Day are usually busy with customers hunting for post-Christmas bargains, however the footfall in high streets was 37.7 per cent lower than in 2019, while it dropped 48.4 per cent in shopping centres and 40.2 per cent in retail parks.

READ MORE:

Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle said: “A major reason for the significantly lower footfall compared with 2019 will be due to consumers’ ongoing nervousness about the Covid infection rate.

“This will have been compounded by the fact that a few multiple retailers opted not to open on Boxing Day which will have deterred some shoppers.

“In addition, Sunday generally has the lowest footfall on any day in the week so a comparison with 2019 when Boxing Day fell on a Thursday will always have meant that footfall would be lower than two years ago.

“Despite this, most multiple retailers still opened their doors to shoppers, and themild weather should have meant that it was easy for shoppers to visit stores and destinations.”

In central London, footfall was 41% lower than 2019 numbers, while it was 42 per cent below in other major UK cities.

This had improved during the day, however, as at noon in the capital, footfall was 67 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Footfall dropped by 61.6 per cent in Northern Ireland, 48.3 per cent in Scotland, 51.3 per cent in Wales and 39.7 per cent in England.

The number of in-person customers was 47.6 per cent above the 2020 level across all UK destinations, including 61.5 per cent in high streets, 57.6 per cent in shopping centres and 7.4 per cent in retail parks.

There were some queues outside stores in the West End on Monday morning, with pictures on social media showing masked shoppers waiting outside Next on Oxford Street from 4am.

New West End Company chief executive Jace Tyrrell said: “As expected, footfall for Boxing Day remained down on pre-pandemic levels as London continues to feel the effects of the Omicron variant, with swathes of people choosing to remain home to browse the sales online rather than risk travelling into city centres.

“This, combined with the limitations of Sunday trading regulations, saw a muted start to the post-Christmas sales period

“We hope that the Prime Minister will provide further clarity on possible restrictions this week to ensure that businesses are given enough time to prepare for any further changes.”

Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter

The post Numbers of Boxing Day shoppers 41% below pre-pandemic levels, figures show appeared first on Retail Gazette.



from Retail Gazette https://ift.tt/3qy2isv
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eagle Labs launches impirica CBD brand

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Eagle Labs has launched impirica, a new brand of CBD intended to eliminate consumer fear, and increase confidence, in trying the exciting new cannabidiol category. Michael Law Although most Americans have now heard about CBD, many are very confused and concerned about product quality. This is inhibiting trial in the category and holding back conversion into sales. In fact, a 2017 study by Johns Hopkins University found that two out of three CBD products on the shelf did not contain the amount of CBD reflected on the label. Furthermore, in 2018 and 2019, the FDA sent notices to a substantial number of CBD manufacturers advising them of serious concerns about product quality or egregious medical claims. The impirica brand looks different than most CBD brands — the brand name itself connotes testing and trust, says Eagle Labs chief commercial officer Michael Law. “It doesn’t use the traditional category colors of browns and greens, and you won’t find a hemp...
68 comments
Read more

Coronavirus Recovery: Canadian Small Businesses Must Focus on Easing Employee, Customer Fears

By M. Tina Dacin and Laura Rees A small business has been  given the green light to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic . What does it need to consider for employees and customers? Small business owners are reorganizing physical space to account for continued distancing requirements and rethinking supply chains to deliver products and services in new ways to meet changing demand patterns. But they must not forget the hearts and minds of employees and customers. That doesn’t mean replacing a focus on the bottom line, but it helps address the need for a new set of expectations and ways of communicating in terms of product or service offerings, delivery methods and real-time feedback. Based on our expertise in organizational behaviour and past research we’ve conducted, we provide a set of recommendations to help small businesses thrive in our new COVID-19 economy by looking after the hearts and minds of the people most important to businesses — employees and customers. Fear, Anxi...
1 comment
Read more

World's 1st Pizza Subscription Service Launches in Toronto

general assembly subscription user opening delivery box of pizza. photo: general assembly pizza By Mario Toneguzzi Toronto-based General Assembly Pizza has launched what it describes as the world’s first pizza subscription service as it also plans to aggressively expand its product offering in the near future by opening a new concept in the market. "Since opening our doors in 2017, we have pushed for the best guest-experience possible — that's why our dough is 100 percent naturally leavened, that's why we have a purpose-built 400-square-foot pick-up and delivery area, and that's why we’ve launched a direct-to-consumer subscription-based ecommerce platform,” said Founder & CEO Ali Khan Lalani. “In 2020, providing the best guest experience means General Assembly Pizza has to be more than a restaurant. I'm proud to say that after almost six months of planning, many roadblocks, and countless pivots — all while maintaining our day-to-day restaurant operatio...
1 comment
Read more