MRI Software releases Easter retail footfall data

By Jenni Matthews, Senior Brand, PR & content manager (EMEA) at MRI Software

Week 16 – SUN-SAT

In the week leading up to Easter, overall retail footfall remained flat from the week before; high streets experienced a modest drop in activity whereas retail parks and shopping centres saw an uplift which may well reflect consumers preparing for the long weekend Easter celebrations.

A week of two halves emerged for high streets with footfall rising only on Tuesday and Thursday. Retail parks and shopping centres, however, witnessed a slow start to the week with declines recorded on Sunday and Monday but improved thereafter. This is a strong indicator of how the Easter holidays impact retail footfall especially with figures reaching double digits on Thursday in these destination types.

Coastal and market towns recorded a drop in footfall last week from the week prior which could be an indicator of people choosing to travel abroad for the peak Easter period. Central London continued to see a week on week uptick and all town types benefited from a rise in footfall compared to the same week last year.

However, whilst the annual comparison highlights an increase in activity compared to the same week last year, this isn’t a true reflection of retail performance in the lead up to Easter weekend. A true comparison will be against the week leading up to Easter 2024 and this is where it can be seen that footfall levels this year surpassed 2024 levels significantly by +11.8% in all UK retail destinations.

High streets led the charge with a +15.7% rise year on year followed by retail parks (+8.1%) and shopping centres (+7.1%); a sign that more families may well be choosing local towns and cities for days out to enjoy the holidays. This is reflected in footfall rising in both historic (+11.7%) and market towns (+10%). Central London may also have benefitted from Easter tourism as footfall levels remained +25.8% higher than the week leading up to Easter last year.

Week on week, footfall declined in high streets driven by a significant drop on Friday and Saturday averaging -7.7% which may well be due to shoppers visiting retail parks and shopping centres to gather last minute groceries and Easter treats. This was reflected in footfall rising by an average of +5.2% and +2.1%, respectively. Thursday appeared to be the busiest day for all UK retail destination types with shopping centres leading the way with a rise of +13.5% followed by retail parks (+11.8%) and high streets (+11.8%).

As the first stretch of the Easter holidays comes to an end or people decide to holiday abroad, coastal and market town footfall fell week on week by -6.7% and -4.7%, respectively.

While last week’s footfall performance remains relatively positive for the retail sector with trends remaining high week on week and year on year, compared to the week leading up to Easter last year, reports from many retailers over the coming days will reveal the true impact of Easter trading.

Week 16 – MON-SUN

In the week leading up to Easter, overall retail footfall declined from the week before; high streets experienced a modest drop in activity along with retail parks and shopping centres which may well be skewed by the significant drop witnessed on Sunday as stores and destinations remained closed to observe the Easter holiday.

A week of two halves emerged for high streets with footfall rising only on Tuesday and Thursday. Retail parks and shopping centres, however, witnessed a slow start to the week with declines recorded on Monday and Sunday. This is a strong indicator of how the Easter holidays impact retail footfall especially with figures reaching double digits on Thursday in these destination types.

Coastal and market towns recorded a drop in footfall last week from the week prior which could be an indicator of people choosing to travel abroad for the peak Easter period. Central London continued to see a week on week uptick and all town types benefited from a rise in footfall compared to the same week last year.

However, whilst the annual comparison highlights an increase in activity compared to the same week last year, this isn’t a true reflection of retail performance in the lead up to Easter weekend. A true comparison will be against the week leading up to Easter 2024 and this is where it can be seen that footfall levels this year surpassed 2024 levels significantly in all UK retail destinations.

Easter weekend retail footfall data