Footfall has continued to decline, down 2.4% on November last year, with high street footfall struggling most. 

Footfall in the high street was down 4% compared to November last year, attributed to the fact that people are doing more shopping online.

In contrast, footfall in out-of-town locations was still up, with a 0.8% increase on last year’s November figures.

These figures come from the British Retail Consortium (BRC)/Springboard Retail Footfall Monitor, which gathers data on consumer activities throughout the UK.

Diane Wehrle, retail insights director at Springboard, said: “Yet again it is high streets and shopping centres that are driving the decline in footfall, while footfall in retail parks remains positive, albeit a smaller rise than in previous months.

“The results clearly indicate that the structural shift in consumer activity brought about by the internet is ongoing, and that it is largely out-of-town locations that are continuing to capitalise on this change. However, it needs to be recognised that retail parks started from a much lower base than that for either high streets or shopping centres, and their increasing attractiveness to shoppers is compounded by the benefit of free car parking.”

Despite these UK figures, Scotland experienced the greatest rise in footfall, reporting a rise of 0.9% on the previous year. 

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