Retail footfall growth slows as face masks become mandatory in shops

Weekly footfall across all retail destinations throughout the UK rose by +2.8% last week, a more modest uptick against the previous week when footfall increased by +4.4%.

In England, where the mandatory wearing of face coverings or face masks in shops, came into force on 24 July, footfall increased by just +2.5% compared to +4% in the other nations of the UK, the latest Springboard figures reveal.

In high streets throughout the UK, footfall rose by +4.3% from the week before, versus just +1.2% in shopping centres and +1.4% in retail parks. The week started positively on Sunday for UK high streets with a rise of +6.1%, but on Monday when the rain hit, high street footfall declined from the week before by -15.7%, versus drops of just -3.3% in shopping centres and -0.3% in retail parks.

On subsequent days, however, as the weather became warmer the tables turned in terms of footfall performance in high streets; between Tuesday and Saturday footfall across UK high streets rose by an average of +7.9% versus just +2.3% in shopping centres and +1.8% in retail parks. 

Of the four UK nations it was Wales that benefited from the most significant uplift between Tuesday and Saturday, with a week on week rise over those five days of +14.8% versus +7.1% in England. 

“The first week of the mandatory wearing of face coverings in retail stores in England did not deliver the hoped for uplift in footfall, with a rise over the week across the UK that was virtually half of that in the week before," said Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle.