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UK retail footfall weakened in October, figures on Friday showed, as "tightening purse strings" meant fewer visits to high streets.
According to the latest British Retail Consortium-Sensormatic IQ tracker, footfall fell by 12% in October against its pre-Covid comparative. This was a worse fate than September's 9.8% decline.
High street footfall alone fell 12% on three years earlier, while in shopping centres, football was down 22%. There were 3.7% fewer visits to retail parks in October, compared to three years earlier.
"Footfall took a stumble in its slow return to pre-pandemic levels as rising prices and tightening purse strings meant many fewer consumers made trips to the shops. October marked the first full month of higher energy bills for many families after the price cap rose 26%, reducing household discretionary spending. Rail strikes also did no favours, with most cities seeing a fall in footfall; that could be exacerbated by further strike action," BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson said.
"The next few months will be crucial, as the Christmas spending period begins. Households are unlikely to see the cost of living crisis ease any time soon, and retailers are finding it harder to shoulder the mounting supply chain pressures."
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