Drop In NI Shopper Numbers

In June, shopper numbers in Northern Ireland were 5.9% lower than a year ago, down from a 3.1% decline in May 2013, according to the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC).

The figures are considerably worse than the whole UK where shopper numbers were up 0.1%.

In the UK footfall in June was 0.1% higher than a year ago, up from a 0.7% decline in May. High street (1.4%) and out-of-town (0.6%) locations both reported footfall increases above the UK average. The footfall trend in shopping centre locations remained in negative territory, falling 3.0% from a 1.7% decline in May.

Greater London (2.4%), Wales (2.3%), the West Midlands (1.3%) and Scotland (1.2%) all reported a rise in footfall above the UK average.

In the first six months of 2013, footfall fell on average 1.5% compared with a 2.9% decline during the same period in 2012.

Aodhán Connolly, Director of the NIRC said: "June has been a disappointing month on Northern Ireland's high streets. Despite the good offers and promotions that are available at the moment, shoppers have continued to stay away.

"Our figures show that footfall fell again this month, as it has done for four months in a row. This is despite overall shopper numbers increasing in the UK as a whole. Northern Ireland retains the unfortunate position of showing the worst performance in the UK. As the weather improves, retailers will be hoping that the summer sunshine helps to tempt customers back to the high street in the coming months."

(CD)