Black Friday week drives surge in UK footfall

Footfall jumped by 7.9% across all UK retail destinations over Black Friday week, 19-25 November 2023, compared to the week before, and was 2% higher than the same week in 2022 – providing a “much needed boost for retailers”.

High streets saw the biggest uplift at +10% on the previous week, and +3.6% compared to the same week in 2022, while the week-on-week footfall in Central London leapt 16.4% as consumers were drawn by bargains and festive attractions, according to the latest data by retail experts MRI Software.

Footfall surged upwards by 11.8% across all UK retail destinations on Black Friday (24 November) itself but that was marginally below 2022 levels (-1.6%).

Central London and large city centres fared well last week from the week before with rises of 16.4% and 10.8% respectively. Historic towns, which also offer festive markets, also stood out last week with a rise of 13.4% fromthe week before.

Regionally, footfall rose across the country however the South West (+10.7%), Scotland (+10.3%) and Wales (+9.6%) were the clear winners.

While footfall across all retail destinations was 2% higher than 2022, it still lagged behind 2019 by -12.6%, with shopping centres and retail parks seeing the gap widen to -20.4% and -5.7% respectively. The gap suggests that pre-pandemic footfall figures may never be fully regained for events such as Black Friday, as consumers continue to shift towards online shopping.

Jenni Matthews, Marketing and Insights Director at MRI Software, said: “All three destination types – high streets, shopping centres and retail parks – saw consistent rises in footfall throughout the week. Shopping centres led the charge on Black Friday witnessing an increase in activity that was double that of the entire week. High streets performed much better than forecasted, indicating the attractions put on by many town centres are serving their purpose in enticing visitors.

“Various locations including historic towns, Central London and regional cities outside of London witnessed significant rises in footfall from the week before, largely driven by consumer activity on Black Friday. Festive events in cities and towns, alongside HMV’s return to Oxford Street, likely played a role in these numbers as consumers looked to make the most of the day and create memorable experiences with loved ones.

“For many, payday will have fallen on Friday – potentially the final one before Christmas - therefore the Black Friday sales provided the perfect opportunity to snap up those festive bargains.”