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14/01/2014
Christmas Shopper Numbers Fall
Christmas shopper numbers in Northern Ireland in 2013 were 8.7% lower than the previous year, according to figures released by the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC).
For the whole of the UK, footfall in December was 2.4% lower than in 2012, up on the 2.9% fall in November and marginally above the three-month average of -2.7%.
High streets reported the greatest fall, down 3.7% and on a three-month basis seeing a drop in footfall of 3.8%. This was the worst drop since August 2012.
Footfall in out-of-town locations and shopping centres fell 1.2% and 1.8% respectively on a three-month basis.
All regions and countries apart from Wales (-3.8%), south west England (-3.4%) and Northern Ireland (-8.7%) reported footfall above the UK average of -2.4%.
Aodhán Connolly, Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said: "It's deeply concerning to see that Northern Ireland suffered by far the steepest drop in footfall in December, especially after some tentative signs that growth was starting to go the other direction in November. Although disposable incomes are feeling the squeeze across the UK, budgets in Northern Ireland are under the greatest pressure, and there are weighty tasks in the year ahead to build and maintain confidence among customers and retailers.
"There are some other factors at play – we saw in last week's sales figures that multichannel was the story of the season, so increased online browsing and buying and use of services like click and collect has undoubtedly filtered through to these figures. We also saw a last minute shopping surge as expected, as many people took the weekdays leading up to Christmas off and used them to finalise their festive spending.
"However what is very clear, with Northern Ireland suffering the worst drop in footfall across the UK and our vacancy rates still being double the national average at one in five shops lying empty, there has never been a more important time for government to work with retailers to encourage consumer confidence and bolster a sector which accounts for one in ten jobs in Northern Ireland. In the coming weeks we will be calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to step up to the challenge of ensuring not just the survival but the growth of the retail sector."
(IT)
For the whole of the UK, footfall in December was 2.4% lower than in 2012, up on the 2.9% fall in November and marginally above the three-month average of -2.7%.
High streets reported the greatest fall, down 3.7% and on a three-month basis seeing a drop in footfall of 3.8%. This was the worst drop since August 2012.
Footfall in out-of-town locations and shopping centres fell 1.2% and 1.8% respectively on a three-month basis.
All regions and countries apart from Wales (-3.8%), south west England (-3.4%) and Northern Ireland (-8.7%) reported footfall above the UK average of -2.4%.
Aodhán Connolly, Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said: "It's deeply concerning to see that Northern Ireland suffered by far the steepest drop in footfall in December, especially after some tentative signs that growth was starting to go the other direction in November. Although disposable incomes are feeling the squeeze across the UK, budgets in Northern Ireland are under the greatest pressure, and there are weighty tasks in the year ahead to build and maintain confidence among customers and retailers.
"There are some other factors at play – we saw in last week's sales figures that multichannel was the story of the season, so increased online browsing and buying and use of services like click and collect has undoubtedly filtered through to these figures. We also saw a last minute shopping surge as expected, as many people took the weekdays leading up to Christmas off and used them to finalise their festive spending.
"However what is very clear, with Northern Ireland suffering the worst drop in footfall across the UK and our vacancy rates still being double the national average at one in five shops lying empty, there has never been a more important time for government to work with retailers to encourage consumer confidence and bolster a sector which accounts for one in ten jobs in Northern Ireland. In the coming weeks we will be calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to step up to the challenge of ensuring not just the survival but the growth of the retail sector."
(IT)
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