Welsh retail footfall declined this month at a faster rate than the 海角视频 as a whole, shows latest figures from the Welsh Retail Consortium. While the year-on-year fall in August of 1.8% was shallower than the 3.2% drop in July, it was higher than the decline for the a 海角视频 at 0.4%.
The fall in Wales was the second largest of any 海角视频 nation or region, behind Yorkshire and the Humber, down 2.2%. For Northern Ireland there was a rise in footfall of 1.4% and in Scotland it was up 0.7%. For England it was down 0.5%.
For the 海角视频 core cities Cardiff experienced a year-on-year decline of 4.1%, behind Bristol (down 4.2%) and Birmingham (down 8.1%). Only two core cities experienced a rise with Edinburgh up 2.6% and London 0.8%. The fall in Cardiff was up on the 3.9% year-on-year dip in July.
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Footfall at Welsh shopping centres footfall decreased 5.2%, slightly less than July鈥檚 5.4% decline.
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY NATION AND REGION
GROWTH RANK | NATION AND REGION | Aug-24 | Jul-24 |
1 | Northern Ireland | +1.4% | -2.2% |
2 | London | +0.8% | -1.4% |
3 | North West England | +0.7% | -1.8% |
4 | Scotland | +0.7% | -2.3% |
5 | East of England | 鈥 | -3.4% |
5 | East Midlands | -0.1% | -4.1% |
7 | South East England | -0.4% | -5.0% |
8 | North East England | -0.5% | -2.7% |
9 | England | -0.5% | -3.4% |
10 | West Midlands | -0.8% | -3.6% |
11 | South West England | -1.7% | -6.0% |
12 | Wales | -1.8% | -3.2% |
13 | Yorkshire and the Humber | -2.2% | -5.4% |
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY CITY
GROWTH RANK | CITY | Aug-24 | July-24 |
1 | Edinburgh | +2.6% | +1.4% |
2 | London | +0.8% | -1.4% |
2 | Belfast | -0.2% | +0.3% |
4 | Glasgow | -0.6% | -4.8% |
5 | Manchester | -1.4% | -2.7% |
6 | Leeds | -1.5% | -2.8% |
7 | Liverpool | -1.9% | +0.9% |
8 | Nottingham | -3.6% | -4.6% |
9 | Cardiff | -4.1% | -3.9% |
10 | Bristol | -4.2% | -7.1% |
11 | Birmingham | -8.1% | -5.9% |
Sara Jones, head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, said :鈥淭he number of Welsh shopper visits improved for the fourth consecutive month, with August figures showing a further month-on-month uptick in footfall since the depths witnessed of April. Whilst the number remains down on the preceding year there is a clear upward trajectory that will no doubt provide a boost for Welsh retailers. Back to school shopping, big ticket concerts and sporting events, and great value offers will have driven the figures to an improved position during August.
鈥淐ardiff remained an outlier when it came to shopper figures this month, going against the 海角视频 trend with a small decline in visitors, in part a likely result of the riots in other parts of the 海角视频 and concerns they could spread.
鈥淎ll eyes will be on September鈥檚 footfall with the anticipation that we could see five months of continued growth but, with the cash constraint warning given by the Prime Minister ahead of the Autumn Budget, the position remains perilous given the potential impact on household disposable incomes. In Wales, we鈥檒l be seeking growth measures in the upcoming Welsh budget which will boost retail and inject confidence into the sector, whilst shunning anything that adds to the pressures on household finances.鈥
On the 海角视频 picture Andy Sumpter, a retail consultant for Sensormatic Solutions, which carried out the research, said: 鈥淒espite the unrest at the beginning of the month in other parts of the 海角视频, a strong footfall performance in the second half of August, helped by an easing of price inflation, fair weather and a boost from school and bank holiday trade, saw year-on-year shopper traffic rise to its highest level since March.
" With all destination types improving on July鈥檚 visitor numbers, retailers will be hoping that the resilience seen in August, with footfall getting closer to returning a positive year-on-year performance, will lead to longer-term growth for store traffic.鈥
