º£½ÇÊÓƵ

Retail footfall in Wales increased in February but at a slower rate than January, shows latest research from the Welsh Retail Consortium.

Footfall, defined as shoppers entering a store, in February was up 2.% year-on-year (YoY) compared to a 8.5% rise in January. The rise in February was the highest of any nation or region of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ, followed by the north west of England at 1.9% and London and the west Midlands at 1.8%.

For England it rose by just 0.2%, while in Northern Ireland it was down 0.1% and Scotland 0.3%. The biggest fall was in Yorkshire and the Humber, down 3.5%.

Shopping centre footfall in Wales YoY decreased by 1.5% in February, down from 8.6% in January. Retail park footfall increased by 2.9% in February YoY, down from 9.8% in January.

Footfall in Cardiff decreased by 1.8% (YoY), down from 9.1% in January. Of the core cities of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ the fall in February in Cardiff was only greater in Liverpool, down 2.5%, Bristol, 5.2%, and Leeds 5.6%. The biggest rise was in Birmingham at 5%.

FOOTFALL BY NATION AND REGION

GROWTH RANK	NATION AND REGION	Feb-25	Jan-25
1	Wales	2.7%	8.5%
2	North West England	1.9%	7.7%
3	London	1.8%	6.7%
3	West Midlands	1.8%	10.0%
5	South East England	0.4%	9.4%
6	England	0.2%	7.4%
7	Northern Ireland	-0.1%	3.5%
8	Scotland	-0.3%	1.0%
9	East of England	-0.8%	8.5%
10	North East England	-1.0%	6.8%
11	East Midlands	-1.3%	6.4%
12	South West England	-1.4%	7.9%
13	Yorkshire and the Humber	-3.5%	3.3%

TOTAL FOOTFALL BY CITY

GROWTH RANK	CITY	Feb-25	Jan-25
1	Birmingham	5.0%	14.3%
2	Manchester	3.9%	10.3%
3	Edinburgh	1.9%	2.8%
4	London	1.8%	6.7%
4	Belfast	0.1%	4.8%
6	Nottingham	-0.3%	6.7%
7	Glasgow	-1.1%	1.9%
8	Cardiff	-1.8%	9.1%
9	Liverpool	-2.5%	3.2%
10	Bristol	-5.2%	6.2%
11	Leeds	-5.6%	1.0%

Sara Jones, head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, said:“Shopper footfall across all Welsh retail destinations faltered in February, dipping over 5% compared to the previous month. That said, February still saw healthy year on year growth, the best of the four home nations.