Footfall at Britain’s shopping centres and high streets rose sharply last weekend as eager consumers sought out last-minute festive bargains, according to new data.
Figures from Experian Footfall revealed Saturday’s trading was up 17.3 per cent year-on-year, with Sunday’s sales registering a 3.7 per cent increase. Over the entire weekend, footfall was 11.8 per cent higher than the same period of last year.
“With less than a week to Christmas, the momentum in shoppers should continue to increase; consumers will also be hoping that retailers will be panicked into price cuts, allowing for them to bag the ultimate bargains,” the data analysts stated.
Experian also observed that with relatively mild weather forecast over the next few days, retailers should continue to see a healthy flow of shoppers in what remains of the run-up to December 25. The researcher described last weekend’s performance as “exceptional” given the recent concern over weakness in consumer spending.
Official figures released by the Office for National Statistics last week revealed that the value of UK retail sales excluding fuel climbed by 3.3 per cent year-on-year in November.
