Huq Industries’ latest footfall data reveals nuanced trends in UK shopping centre visitation for the week ending September 8, 2024. The data, encompassing over 2,700 retail centres, highlights regional variations in footfall, dwell time, and weekday visitation shares across the United Kingdom.
Shopping Centres Daily Footfall
Regional Footfall Trends
In Scotland, despite a slight week-on-week decrease, the year-on-year growth stands at approximately 9%. Dwell time, however, has seen a significant reduction compared to the previous year. London also shows an increase in footfall year-on-year. The capital’s dwell time has slightly decreased year-on-year but remains higher than many other regions.
The East of England presents the most substantial year-on-year increase in footfall coupled with a significant rise in dwell time. Conversely, the East Midlands experienced a notable decline in footfall year-on-year.
The South West and Wales both show positive trends in footfall with modest year-on-year growth. Dwell time in these regions has also increased, suggesting that visitors are spending more time per visit. The North East stands out with a dramatic year-on-year increase in footfall, which could be attributed to specific local factors.
The West Midlands and North West regions show contrasting trends. While the West Midlands has seen a significant increase in both footfall and dwell time, the North West experienced a slight decline in footfall year-on-year.
Top Performing Centres
Among individual centres, the Hertfordshire Galleria Outlet in the East of England and Westfield Stratford City in London are noted as top performers with substantial increases in visitation. In contrast, the London Designer Outlet in Wembley and intu Merry Hill in the West Midlands are among those that have seen declines.
Market Outlook
This detailed snapshot of shopping centre activity provides valuable insights for retailers and commercial real-estate companies looking to understand regional market dynamics and consumer behaviour. Based on the direction of the latest data and trends observed this time last year, we can anticipate continued growth in regions like the East of England, while areas with recent declines may face challenges in the coming weeks.
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