Christmas shopper numbers plunged 46% in December as problems mount for British high streets

Footfall well below 2019 levels as coronavirus restrictions push consumers online

High streets saw a 49.5 per cent drop in footfall compared to last year while retail parks were more resilient, registering a 17.3 per cent fall (PA)

Problems mounted for British high streets in December as the number of shoppers dropped sharply on last year's levels in response to coronavirus restrictions, new figures show.

Footfall was 46.1 per cent below the same month last year, according to the monthly BRC-ShopperTrak monitor. Separate data from accountancy firm BDO confirmed that total sales, including online, were also lower during December which is a critical month for retailers.

The BRC stressed that shopper numbers were better than November when England was under lockdown. Nonetheless, the data confirms retailers had one of their toughest ever Christmas seasons.

High streets saw a 49.5 per cent drop in footfall compared to last year while retail parks were more resilient, registering a 17.3 per cent decline.

Shopping centre footfall declined by 47.3 per cent year on year. This was just over a 24 percentage point decline compared to October.

BDO's high street sales tracker revealed that total like-for-like sales, online and offline, decreased by 1.6 per cent in December.

Sales rose in the early part of the month following the end of November's lockdown in England, but then tumbled  as restrictions tightened across much of the UK.

“Not even the advent of festive season could turn around the fortunes of the highsStreet in December," said Andy Sumpter, retail consultant at ShopperTrak.

“December was a month of two halves, however – before footfall fell away as UK consumers faced the prospect of tougher restrictions, there was an initial recovery in retail footfall in the first two weeks of December, with shopper counts boosted by pent-up demand from November’s lockdown and shoppers’ get-ahead gift buying.  

"While this soon plummeted in the second half of the month, it at least served to save some valuable Christmas trade.”

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, warned that businesses needed urgent government help to ensure their survival.

“Now that all parts of the UK are effectively in lockdown and with social distancing measures expected to continue well into the New Year, ‘non-essential’ stores will be unable to trade their way back to recovery," she said.  

"A third lockdown will be one too many for some businesses. Rent bills continue to weigh heavily and the threat of a return to full business rates liability in April still looms. The government must urgently reassure those businesses hardest hit by the pandemic that they will receive vital financial support in the form of an extension to the coronavirus business rates relief.”