Footfall across all British retail destinations in the days after Christmas was 24.5% lower than the same week in 2019 as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 spread rapidly, according to Springboard analysts.
The number of shoppers was also 15% lower than the previous week, with shopping centres seeing the biggest drop.
Omicron dashed retailers' hopes for a boost in post-Christmas sales this year after Covid-19 restrictions forced many stores in London and south England to close in the same period in 2020.
Footfall Decrease
Footfall on St Stephen's Day was 41% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
However, there were some signs of improvement as the week progressed, with 5.2% more shoppers on the high street on New Year's Eve than on Christmas Eve, a reversal of the situation a year ago.
Cautious Shoppers
"Despite the well documented cautiousness of shoppers in the run up to and over Christmas this year, it appears that on New Year's Eve there was a shift in behaviour, with footfall in high streets increasing from the week before (Christmas Eve)," said Springboard Insights director Diane Wehrle.
"The winners on New Year's Eve were Central London and historic town centres where footfall rose significantly from the week before, whilst declining in smaller local high streets."
News by Reuters edited by Donna Ahern Checkout. For more Retail stories click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
