Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Storm Ciaran hits retail footfall

Storm Ciaran
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Storm Ciaran hit UK high streets hard on Thursday (2), as consumers avoided shopping amid dangerous conditions.

According to latest data from MRI Software (previously MRI Springboard), footfall was down -17.3 per cent on UK high streets yesterday, against to the week previous. Across all UK retail destinations, footfall slumped by -12.4 per cent compared to last week and by -6.0 per cent year-on-year.


The impact of Storm Ciaran was most felt by retailers in the South of England. Compared to the week previous, footfall was down -32.0 per cent in the South West. Many workers in London chose to work from home, highlighted by a -17.35 per cent drop in Central London footfall as Storm Ciaran caused travel disruption.

James Massey, Managing Director of MRI Software comments, “While the UK was still in the process of rebounding from the aftermath of Storm Babet, bolstered by half term in parts of the UK last week, the arrival of Storm Ciaran yesterday dampening much of this recovery, creating a volatile scenario for footfall performance in UK retail destinations in recent weeks.

Footfall yesterday fell by -12.4 per cent from the week before across all UK retail destinations which meant it was -6% lower than the same day last year. High streets, as would be expected, felt the full force of Storm Ciaran with footfall declining by -17.3 per cent yesterday which wiped out all of the gains made in the week before when footfall rose by +14.6 per cent on that particular day from the week prior.

Shopping centres and retail parks, destination types which are usually more resilient to extreme weather, were not left unscathed as footfall declined by -9.6 per cent and -4.9 per cent respectively.

The impact of Storm Ciaran was particularly felt in the South of England, as footfall declined by -32 per cent in the South West, followed by the East of England (-22.1 per cent), the South East (-19.2 per cent), and Greater London (-14.6 per cent).

Central London also saw footfall fall by -17.35 per cent yesterday and it was apparent that many workers in the city chose to work from home as reflected in MRI Software’s Central London ‘Back to Office’ benchmark which showed a decline of -16.8 per cent from the same day last week.”

More for you

Yvette Cooper

Home secretary Yvette Cooper speaking at the annual conference hosted by the NPCC and APCC on 19 November 2024

Photo: GOV.UK

Home secretary pledges to restore neighbourhood policing

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans to rebuild neighbourhood policing and combat surging shop theft as part of an ambitious programme of reform to policing.

In her first major speech at the annual conference hosted by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on Tuesday, Cooper highlighted four of the key areas for reform: neighbourhood policing, police performance, structures and capabilities, crime prevention.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Bailey acknowledges retailers' warning on job cuts
Bank of England building on Threadneedle Street, CLondon (Photo: iStock)
Getty Images/iStockphoto

Andrew Bailey acknowledges retailers' warning on job cuts

Retailers are right to warn of potential job cuts as a result of tax increases announced at last month’s budget, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said.

Bailey appeared before the cross-party Treasury select committee on Tuesday (19), after almost 80 retailers claimed rising costs would make “job losses inevitable, and higher prices a certainty”.

Keep ReadingShow less
High Street shopping street
Photo: iStock

High Street Rental Auctions: Independent retailers urged to engage with local councils

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has urged independent shop owners to reach out to their local councils about the government's newly announced High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers, which aim to tackle persistently vacant commercial properties on UK high streets.

Introduced through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, the HSRA legislation will come into force on 2 December. It will give local authorities the ability to put the leases of long-term empty shops up for public auction, allowing businesses and community groups to secure short-term tenancies.

Keep ReadingShow less
Home energy smartmeter
Photo: iStock

Inflation jumps in October on higher energy bills

Britain's annual inflation rate jumped more than expected in October to back above the Bank of England's target as households and businesses faced higher energy bills, official data showed Wednesday.

The Consumer Prices Index reached 2.3 per cent from a three-year low of 1.7 percent in the 12 months to September, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nestle

Nestle logos are pictured in the supermarket of Nestle headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland, February 13, 2020

REUTERS/Pierre Albouy/File Photo

Nestle to step up marketing investment; Waters and beverages to become standalone business

Nestle on Tuesday said it will increase investment in advertising and marketing to 9 per cent of sales by the end of 2025. The company also announced plans to make its waters and premium beverages activities a global standalone business from New Year.

Unveiling a plan to fuel and accelerate growth at a Capital Markets Day for investors and analysts, the Swiss group also said it aims cost savings of at least CHF 2.5 billion (£2.25bn) above existing initiatives by end 2027 to fund increased investments.

Keep ReadingShow less