A new report has indicated that Britain’s retail sector is showing tentative signs of a rebound, with more and more shoppers opting to visit out-of-town complexes instead of traditional high street outlets.
According to figures compiled by Springboard for the British Retail Consortium (BRC), there was a year-on-year increase in footfall at shops in Greater London, the South West and Scotland between July 2010 and last month, although other UK regions fared less well.
BRC director-general Stephen Robertson noted that consumer behaviour had changed somewhat in the aftermath of the recession, with many families choosing to embark on more shopping trips but spending less on each individual visit.
Springboard research director Diane Wehrle added: “The modest 0.6 per cent growth in footfall in shopping centres could, in part, be attributed to the early start of summer sales.”
Last week, official figures published by the Office for National Statistics revealed that British retail sales volumes edged up by 0.2 per cent in July from the previous month.
