Has the reopening of pubs scared away the shoppers?

Footfall has been improving but is still down by about 50 per cent on the year and the rate slowed on Saturday as pubs reopened, writes James Moore. Could face masks help restore confidence?

Consumers are returning slowly but it’s clear they are still nervous (PA)

The reopening of England’s pubs didn’t do much for retail footfall. To the contrary – figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) have shown a steady improvement, but the rate slowed markedly on Saturday.

Last week was up 15 per cent when compared to the previous seven days. But on Saturday that fell to 9.2 per cent, the smallest improvement seen on any individual day.

That has to be a worry for retailers. When compared to the same week last year, footfall was still down by just under 50 per cent.