UK footfall reaches 50% of pre-lockdown levels

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The footfall on UK high streets has returned to 50% of pre-lockdown levels, according to the latest data from Wireless Social.

Last week, there was cause for concern as overall footfall declined for the first time since reopening, but the latest figures show a bounce back across the country.

On Sunday (2 August), Birmingham saw a significant jump as footfall moved from –50% of the February average footfall last week, to –31% this week, the closest to pre-lockdown levels that has been reported so far on the tracker.

Footfall also increased slightly in both inner and outer London.

Central London saw a shift from -53% on Saturday and -49% on Sunday last week (25/26 July), to -46% on Saturday and -45% on Sunday this week (1/2 August).

On average, London’s shopping districts saw rates increase, with Oxford Street seeing its highest footfall in 5 months; and other districts, with the exception of Wardour street in Soho, increasing slightly.

In the London suburbs, meanwhile, footfall rose from -54% to -46% on the Saturday (1 August); and from -43% to -40% on the Sunday (2 August).

Other cities to see a slight increase in footfall include Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester, although, with a local lockdown in place, figures for the latter may dip this week.

Cities in Scotland and Wales, meanwhile, seem to be increasing at a slightly slower rate.

Cardiff had an increase in footfall this week, but it remains around -60% of its February levels; and Glasgow increased by 1% on Saturday (from -58% to -57%) and decreased on Sunday (from -61% to -67%).

Edinburgh, however, bucked this trend, increasing by 9% (from -61% to -52%) on Sunday.