Wet weather dampens November retail footfall figures
Wet weather and the anticipation of Black Friday deals dampened retail footfall figures last month, according to the latest research.
Footfall declined 3.4 per cent in November, compared to a drop of 3.2 per cent in the same month last year, as shoppers held out for Black Friday bargains.
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The high street suffered a 4.3 per cent footfall drop, followed by a three per cent decline at shopping centres and a 1.8 per cent fall at retail parks.
Heavy rainfall in the second half of the month drove footfall down 4.4 per cent, compared to a fall of 2.4 per cent over the first two weeks of November.
Black Friday, which saw footfall increase 3.3 per cent on the day, fell outside of the monthly trading period so did not strengthen the November figure overall.
Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle said: “Whilst the heavy rain will have deterred many shoppers from making trips to retail destinations, the poor footfall in the second half of the month will have been exacerbated by the proximity of Black Friday discounts.
“Alerts arriving on a regular basis into consumers’ inboxes in the run up to Black Friday enabled consumers to watch the retail market easily and identify the depth and spread of discounts being offered.
Read more: High street sales plunge week before Black Friday
“ If they weren’t already planning on doing so, this will have led to many consumers pulling back on trips to destinations causing a spending freeze over the last two weeks of the month in anticipation of big discounts on current stock.”
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