‘Encouraging’ rise in shopper footfall in December, says trade body

Shopper numbers in Scotland increased in the final month of last year – although December figures tracking the number of people in stores showed it was still below pre-pandemic levels.

Retail analysists said that bricks and mortar stores had “rallied in December”, with the sector seeing the best footfall counts compared to pre-pandemic figures all year.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said it had been a “sprightlier and encouraging end to the year” for the sector, with the “best results since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020”.

However, its director, David Lonsdale, warned that “sustaining the improvement and turning browsing into buying will be tricky given the ongoing cost-of-living crunch”.

The comments came after the latest SRC-Sensormatic IQ data showed overall footfall in Scotland in December was 5.1% higher than the previous month.

Shopper numbers, however, were still almost a tenth (9.9%) lower than December 2019, before Covid struck, with the decline in Scotland greater than the fall of 7.3% reported across the UK.

The number of visitors to shopping centres north of the border was 14.9% higher than in November, but was 12.7% below the total from three years ago.

And, in Glasgow, shopper numbers for December were 7.9% lower than they had been in the same month in 2019 – despite being up by 4.8% from November.

The analysis showed on a year-by-year basis overall footfall was up by 27.8%, with visitors to shopping centres up 44.9% compared to 2021, while Glasgow saw an 18.7% increase.

Mr Lonsdale said: “Compared with pre-pandemic times, December saw the best monthly performance of 2022 and recorded the biggest monthly improvement in store visits since Covid-era restrictions were rescinded last March.

“All retail destinations benefitted with shopping centres and the major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh all turning in their best foot-traffic results of last year.”

He said: “Buoyed by festive spending in the build-up to Christmas and discounting by retailers in the immediate aftermath, this was a far sprightlier and encouraging end to the year for shopper footfall in Scotland.”

Mr Lonsdale described the figures as a “stark improvement” from December 2021 – a month which saw fresh Covid restrictions introduced in Scotland, with people being urged to work from home and socialise less.

But he added: “Despite the welcome and marked improvement, store visits in Scotland remain a tenth below pre-pandemic levels and are weaker than across the UK as a whole.

“Sustaining the improvement and turning browsing into buying will be tricky given the ongoing cost-of-living crunch.”

Andy Sumpter,  a retail consultant for Sensormatic Solutions said the figures showed that “physical retail rallied in December, with store performance last month posting its best footfall counts compared to pre-pandemic figures all year”.

He said: “Retailers rose above an onslaught of festive disruption, from snow chaos to rail and mail strikes impacting consumers’ shopping journeys both on- and off-line, disrupting pre-Christmas travel to shopping hubs and creating online delivery backlogs and delays.

“And, once again, it was the in-store teams that kept retailers’ doors open and able to continue to serve their customers and communities.

“Looking ahead to 2023, retailers will be hoping for more stability and support to help them chart a trading course for success in the light of continued economic headwinds, as they adapt their retail offers to the needs of the cost-of-living consumer.”