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Black Friday lifts footfall with shopping centres given the biggest boost

Tom Bottomley
28 November 2022

Black Friday footfall was 9.3% higher than in 2021 across all UK retail destinations, with footfall in shopping centres jumping 16.8%, high streets up 11.3% and retail parks rising 7.1%.

Footfall across UK retail destinations rose by 3.2% last week, 20-26 November 2022, compared to the week before, according to the latest data from retail experts Springboard.

In Central London, footfall rose by 4.9% last week compared to the week before – jumping by 13.3% on Black Friday itself - and +4.3% in cities outside of London (+17.8% on Black Friday).

Coastal towns and historic towns had rises of 5.4% and 7.3% respectively over the week, and +13.6% and +18.6% on Black Friday.

However, despite the uplift in footfall, the gap from pre-pandemic 2019 was -14% in the comparative week, and was -17.5% below 2019 on Black Friday itself.

Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard, said: “UK retail destinations received a boost last week from Black Friday, with an increase in footfall from the week before that was twice as large as in the previous week.

“Footfall rose in all three destination types, but shopping centres fared particularly well, which is a result we would expect to see as shopping centres comprise a critical mass of larger retailers, the vast majority of which actively participate in the event. However, notably footfall still remained significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels, indicating consistent nervousness around spending in the current climate.

“At the same time, consumers appeared to regard the occurrence of Black Friday last week as an excuse for making trips to high streets to enjoy the pre-Christmas festivities, with increases in footfall in city centres and towns that appeal to consumers for day trips.

“The increase in footfall last week meant that the annual increase from 2021 nearly doubled from the previous week. This greater annual uplift was driven mainly by high streets, demonstrating that whilst the week on week increase in footfall in high streets last week was not as large as in shopping centres, high streets performed better than on Black Friday week last year.”

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