Shopper numbers plummet as new English lockdown bites

With COVID-19 infections rising at an alarming rate the British government imposed a second national lockdown for England, starting last Thursday and running until 2 December.

All non-essential shops must close, along with cafes and restaurants except to offer takeaway food. People have also been encouraged to work from home if possible.

Springboard said shopper numbers fell 16.2 per cent in high streets, 18.9 per cent in shopping centres and 9.7 per cent in retail parks.

It said that on a year-on-year basis, footfall was down 38.6 per cent.

However, Springboard said the result for the week as a whole disguised a mini-boom in the days leading up to the lockdown, with footfall up an average 11.7 per cent over the four days between Sunday and Thursday.

From Thursday onwards footfall crashed, the objective of the lockdown, falling by an average of 46.7 per cent from the week before.

"Last week was in the clearest sense a week of two halves," Springboard director Diane Wehrle said.

"With the second lockdown being announced on Saturday evening before the start of the week on Sunday, but not coming into force until Thursday, it was inevitable that there would be a last minute surge in activity."