UK footfall down again as retailers hope for ‘discount-driven’ Christmas Eve surge
UK footfall remained down year-on-year yesterday, 23 December, with a substantial drop of 13% compared to the same day in 2024, as retailers pin their hopes on a final discount-driven Christmas Eve shopping surge today.
Retail Parks are remaining the most resilient retail destination, with a less steep decline of 8.6% compared to 2024, according to the latest data from Sensormatic Solutions’ ShopperTrak Analytics.
While store visits jumped by 64.8% week-on-week, consumer spending hesitancy continues to push festive demand “to the wire”.
Shopping Centres saw the greatest footfall gains, up 74.3% versus the week prior, while store visits also improved 42.7% on the daily average for December.
In a bid to drive up pre-Christmas purchases, retailers - including Primark, Debenhams and Currys - have started releasing Boxing Day discounts early, with Boxing Day, 26 December, still expected to be the fourth busiest in-store shopping day of peak trading.
Andy Sumpter, EMEA Retail Consultant at Sensormatic Solutions, said: “After an unsettled start to the festive period - defined by shaky consumer confidence and spending hesitancy – retailers will be left feeling frustrated that footfall remains stubbornly muted, after many were pinning their hopes on a surge in store traffic yesterday.
“With consumers leaving purchases right up to the wire, some retailers have released Boxing Day deals early to try and unlock that, so far, elusive consumer spending.
“We expect last-minute buying to continue well into Christmas Eve. However, even this final throw of the discounting dice might be ‘too little, too late’ for retailers already battling to make up for lost time - whether it will be enough to reverse softer performance earlier in the season remains to be seen.”
Despite reports that early-season discounting events, such as Black Friday, have diminished Boxing Day’s appeal, data from VoucherCodes suggests Boxing Day spend will still outperform Black Friday; consumers are tipped to spend £3.81 billion on Boxing Day compared to £3.36 billion of purchases made on Black Friday.
