Today’s figures reveal that after Christmas, shoppers looking for bargains are slowly returning to Britain’s high streets.
Although footfall was disappointing for Boxing Day 2019, it is now showing a decrease in comparison to pre-pandemic levels.
Springboard figures show that December 28th was a lower month for footfall in high-streets, retail centres and retail areas than it was for 2019.
These figures represent a significant improvement over Boxing Day when footfall was at an all-time low of 41% compared with two years ago. This is the last time that there were any Covid restrictions.
High streets still struggle to attract shoppers. However, the increase in foot traffic to retail parks is driving this figure – only 5% lower than yesterday’s 2019 levels.
This slow, steady return is despite Boris Johnson’s announcement that no new Covid restrictions would be put in place in England from now until the New Year.
According to experts, the news will be welcomed by retailers who suffered a slump in sales during the Christmas period due to concerns about the Omircon variant spreading.
Experts warn, however that shops will face difficult times in 2022, even if there are no additional restrictions.
MailOnline was told by Andrew Goodacre (CEO of British Independent Retailers Association) that the figures were better than anticipated. Many businesses believed they would be locked down after Christmas. So there’s some hope.
Figures today reveal that footfall has been declining since Boxing Day, despite a decline of more than one third compared to 2019, and is now at a level comparable to pre-pandemic levels. Pictured today: Shoppers on Regent Street in central London
Springboard data shows that footfall in High Streets, Shopping Centres, and Retail Parks for December 28, 2018, was 27% lower than it was for 2019. Pictured: Today’s busy Oxford Street
This is an impressive improvement on Boxing Day when footfall was at an all-time low of 41% compared with two years ago, when there weren’t any Covid restrictions. Pictured today: Shoppers in London’s Carnaby Street
This is a crucial period for retailers who make use of it to rid old stock in order to make space for new stock.
However, it was clear that 2022 would be difficult for retail. Because businesses are facing rising costs, we thought that next year would prove difficult.
“There is still some hope, maybe more so than a few weeks back.”
When asked why the retail park sector has rebounded so strongly, Mr Goodacre replied that it was due to “three factors.” Retail parks often have larger shops, which may make people feel more secure in bigger spaces.
“There are also many businesses and a supermarket so that shoppers who need to stock up on groceries for the New Year can go to Next or Boots.
“And maybe transport, as that is quite hard at the moment. People might be concerned (about Covid). Retail parks often have free parking so people are able to drive as much as they want.
Springboard’s figures show that footfall in the UK on Boxing Day was 37% lower than in 2019. This is a fair comparison, as the country was locked down in 2020.
This year’s biggest drop was in shopping centers, where footfall dropped by almost 50%. On Boxing Day, retail parks saw footfall decrease of around 40%.
The decline in footfall at retail parks has been significant, falling to 9 Percent on December 27th and to 5 Percent on December 28th.
The decline in high street footfall actually increased to 41 per cent on December 27, before falling to 35 per cent on December 28.
Shopping centre footfall decline also fell to 37 per cent on December 27 and to 33 per cent on December 28.
This resulted in a decline of footfall at all shopping locations. It was 41% for Boxing Day. But it fell to 32.7 percent on December 27th, and then further to 27.6 percent on December 28.
The figures for today will not be published until tomorrow morning. Many businesses resumed work today, despite the fact that Monday and Tuesday were Christmas bank holidays.
This comes just as England’s New Year Eve celebrations received the green light yesterday, after being hung for weeks.
Boris Johnson remained calm despite the Omicron warnings of his advisers yesterday and avoided any new strictures.
The Prime Minister would rather rely on guidance that encourages people to limit socialising than to impose legal binding curbs such as those in Scotland and Wales.
He held crunch talks this morning with Professor Chris Whitty (his chief adviser) and Sir Patrick Vallance (1st April). This raised concerns that No10 might unveil new restrictions before the end of the year’s last social hurrah. He has refused to compromise on his demands for more severe action.
Twitter statement: “We will continue to watch the data carefully. However, there won’t be any new restrictions implemented in England prior to the New Year. But, given Omicron case numbers increasing rapidly, I urge you to be cautious.
“Most important, I encourage everyone to have their booster or first jab immediately to safeguard yourself and your family.
This improvement in data was driven by an increase in footfall at retail parks. It is down only 5% from yesterday’s levels, and high streets are still struggling to attract shoppers. Pictured: Passers-by look at a TV screen in a Glasgow shop showing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon making a Covid-19 statement during a virtual sitting of the Scottish Parliament
Retail businesses have been experiencing lower footfall in recent months due to concerns about the Omircon variant spreading. Experts believe that the announcement is ‘welcome’. Pictured: A sale sign is seen on Oxford Street in London by shoppers.
However, the Health Secretary still threatened to tighten restrictions in 2022 to make England more like the other countries. He urged people to be cautious and to “remain cautious”.
Sajid Javid confirmed that England was going it alone when it decided to keep the panic button on fire. He added, ‘There won’t be any further measures until the new year. Sky News was told by Javid that each country makes up the UK and can decide its own path forward.
Official coronavirus statistics appeared to justify No10’s reluctance to resort to economically-crippling curbs, with the number of cases recorded in England having fallen every day since Christmas.
Yesterday’s confirmed infected cases rose by 7% to 98.515, but these figures are for England and do not reflect the entire country.
The cases in Scotland rose to new heights over the Christmas break, but they won’t be included as part of the UK update until Wednesday. Tomorrow will see the official recording of Wales’s tolls over Christmas.
But, data from other sources revealed that the NHS is under threat by Omicron’s New Year. Covid hospital admissions in England hit the highest level since February on Christmas Day, with 1,281 coronavirus-infected patients placed on wards, up 74 per cent in a week.
The same data that reveals how the super-infectious variant of the disease has caused spiralling infections rates across the nation also shows Omicron-hotspot London’s daily hospitalisations are below No10, the threshold for new England-wide restrictions. Official data suggests London is experiencing a flattening epidemic.
Deaths have increased more than three times since last Monday, when 44 were recorded. However, this is due to a record lag. There were no deaths on Christmas Day and only three on Boxing Day.
To remove all legal restrictions, Parliament must be recalled within 48 hours. This can happen quickly and could cause fury among Tory backbenchers. It would also create serious problems in the hospitality sector.
Even though Mr Johnson was applauded by his party, Conservative MPs stated that data doesn’t support him acting any harder. Andrew Bridgen described the actions taken in Scotland, Wales as an “overreaction”.
Instead, he today gave the green light for people to celebrate on New Year’s Eve but urged the nation to be ‘cautious and sensible’.
The Prime Minister declared that, in spite of Omicron spreading across the globe, he still believes everyone should celebrate New Year.
Although he said that the strain continues to pose real health problems, and hospitalisations are increasing, the data clearly shows that it’s ‘obviously less severe than the Delta version’.
Johnson claimed that England is not in need of new coronavirus regulations because it has rolled out booster jabs, although Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland have all implemented new socializing laws.
Today, the premier reiterated his appeal to the nation for support as he stated that 90% of Covid patients in intensive-care units throughout the country hadn’t received the dose.
Johnson was criticised for failing to appear in public during the recent coronavirus crisis.
As he was being questioned about the topic, he answered that he’d been in the country for the past 10 days. The PM was flustered and replied, ‘I have been here.’
Meanwhile, British pubs, bars and restaurants lost £10,335 on average in the week leading up to Christmas compared to pre-Covid sales levels, new data reveals.
Christmas Day sales were 60% lower than in 2019, according to UK Hospitality. London’s city centers and London sites were hardest affected by the Omicron rise, the industry body UK Hospitality reported.
Comparatively, sales data for the week prior to the Covid variant’s emergence showed that average sales were at 98% pre-pandemic, which many people consider a success in the festive season.
Omicron UK Hospitality stated that December typically represents three months of trading. Therefore, the recovery process in the sector could be much longer.
Chief executive Kate Nicholls of the company warned that coronavirus restrictions should be kept to a minimum in order to aid an already struggling sector.
Andy Wood is the Adnams Brewery’s chief executive. He previously claimed that there has been a drop of 50% in pub and hotel visitors after Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, advised people to avoid socializing.
Following the emergence of the fast-spreading Omicron variant, Professor Whitty warned Britons against ‘mixing with people you don’t have to’ in a December 15 address, and advised the public to ‘prioritise social interactions that really matter’.
Mr Wood had told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘More than half of Christmas has been lost… It will be necessary to provide support to the sector during the difficult months of February, March and January.
The latest figures reveal the average losses are above the maximum £6,000 cash grants offered to each affected venue by Chancellor Rishi Sunak as part of his £1 billion fund announced last week, sparking yet more calls for industry support.