Welsh retail footfall numbers fell in May but not as sharply as for the Ƶ as a whole, shows latest research from the Welsh Retail Consortium (WRC).
Year-on-year people entering shops on the high street, retail parks and shopping centres in Wales was down 0.4%, while the Ƶ experienced a 1.2% dip. The only nation or region to see a rise in May was the north west of England, up 0,8%. The biggest fall on the year was in the east of England at 3.7%.
Within the overall decline in Wales in May, footfall reported at shopping centres was down 5.4% on a year earlier, while for retail parks there was a rise of 1.2%.
An analysis of the 11 core cities of the Ƶ saw Cardiff ranked seventh in May with a year-on-year fall of 2.1%.
Only three cities reported rises on a year earlier with Manchester up 3.9%, Birmingham, up 1.5%, and Edinburgh up 1.1%. The biggest fall was experienced in Bristol with a dip of 4%.
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY NATION AND REGION
GROWTH RANK | NATION AND REGION | May-25 | Apr-25 |
1 | North West England | 0.8% | 8.5% |
2 | Wales | -0.4% | 13.6% |
3 | West Midlands | -0.6% | 11.4% |
4 | North East England | -0.7% | 5.8% |
4 | Scotland | -0.7% | 6.9% |
6 | South West England | -1.3% | 8.9% |
7 | Northern Ireland | -1.4% | 14.3% |
8 | England | -2.0% | 6.7% |
9 | East Midlands | -2.1% | 6.4% |
10 | South East England | -2.8% | 7.9% |
11 | Yorkshire and the Humber | -2.8% | 4.0% |
12 | London | -3.2% | 4.2% |
13 | East of England | -3.7% | 4.3% |
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY CITY
GROWTH RANK | CITY | May-25 | Apr-25 |
1 | Manchester | 3.9% | 10.0% |
2 | Birmingham | 1.5% | 11.8% |
3 | Edinburgh | 1.1% | 8.1% |
4 | Leeds | -1.1% | 3.5% |
5 | Glasgow | -1.2% | 7.8% |
6 | Belfast | -1.9% | 21.3% |
7 | Cardiff | -2.1% | 9.0% |
8 | Nottingham | -2.5% | 3.2% |
9 | Liverpool | -3.0% | 10.5% |
10 | London | -3.2% | 4.2% |
11 | Bristol | -4.0% | 1.3% |
Sara Jones, head of the WRC, said: "“Retailers will be a little disappointed as visits to shopping destinations fell back slightly in Wales in May. Hopes were high after a positive Easter trading period, but sadly the figures were a small fall back from 2024’s performance.
“However, it wasn’t all bad news. Wales was the top performing nation in the Ƶ last month, and retail parks continued to show growth.
“However, visits to Cardiff fell a little, and shopping centres saw a 5% decrease.
“Last June saw concerts and sporting events draw consumers onto the high street but didn’t translate into increased sales.
“The hope is this summer will see that footfall bounce repeated, but this time hopefully consumers will choose products rather than experiences. With consumer confidence shaky right now and businesses grappling with higher costs there is a lot on the line in the coming months.”
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant for Sensormatic Solutions, which carried out the research from the WRC, saidL Welsh retail footfall held up better than the Ƶ average in May, with a year-on-year decline of just 0.4% compared to minus 1.7% nationally.
High Streets and shopping centres still saw some softening, but retail parks continued to show resilience, supported by their convenience and accessibility.
“Despite the warm and sunny weather, more typical of peak summer than late spring, footfall didn’t fully reflect the brighter conditions, suggesting that consumers may have prioritised leisure and outdoor activities over shopping.
Nevertheless, May’s result marks a clear improvement on the minus 5% seen in the same month last year and contributes to a more stable trend in 2025.
“Encouragingly, consumer sentiment is on the rise, with more people feeling optimistic about their personal finances and the wider economy. Notwithstanding ongoing cost-of-living pressures, retailers in Wales will be looking to make hay while the sun shines – focusing on the right mix of experience, value, and convenience to convert seasonal footfall into sustained growth.”
