UK footfall reaches 50% of pre-lockdown levels

Last week, there was cause for concern as overall footfall declined for the first time since reopening​​, but the latest figures show a bounce back across the country.

On Sunday (2 August), Birmingham saw a significant jump as footfall moved from –50% of the February average footfall last week, to –31% this week, the closest to pre-lockdown levels that has been reported so far on the tracker.

Footfall also increased slightly in both inner and outer London.

Central London saw a shift from -53% on Saturday and -49% on Sunday last week (25/26 July), to -46% on Saturday and -45% on Sunday this week (1/2 August).

On average, London’s shopping districts saw rates increase, with Oxford Street seeing its highest footfall in 5 months; and other districts, with the exception of Wardour street in Soho, increasing slightly.

In the London suburbs, meanwhile, footfall rose from -54% to -46% on the Saturday (1 August); and from -43% to -40% on the Sunday (2 August).

Other cities to see a slight increase in footfall include Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester, although, with a local lockdown in place, figures for the latter may dip this week.

Cities in Scotland and Wales, meanwhile, seem to be increasing at a slightly slower rate.

Cardiff had an increase in footfall this week, but it remains around -60% of its February levels; and Glasgow increased by 1% on Saturday (from -58% to -57%) and decreased on Sunday (from -61% to -67%).

Edinburgh, however, bucked this trend, increasing by 9% (from -61% to -52%) on Sunday.