Retailers suffer disappointing December amid cost-of-living woes

Retailers suffered a disappointing December as rising bills and food costs kept shoppers at home, figures show.

Total UK footfall was down 2.9% over the month year on year, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic.

Visits to the high street were down by 0.9%, but retail park footfall fell 2.5% and shopping centres suffered particularly badly with 5.1% fewer Christmas customers on the year before.

Overall, total UK footfall over the year was down 0.8% compared with 2024, while “Golden Quarter” visitors over the three months to December fell by 2.2%.

Footfall decreased year-on-year across all nations – down 1.5% in Scotland, 1.7% in Northern Ireland, with the largest decrease of 3.1% in both England and Wales.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “It was a disappointing December for retailers as footfall declined across all shopping locations, as well as in the major cities.

“In the face of rising bills and food costs, many consumers held off for post-Christmas sales, with the week after Christmas the only one to see a significant uplift.

“Shoppers were also browsing less in the lead up to Christmas, making fewer, but more targeted shopping trips, particularly in shopping centres, which saw the largest drop in footfall.

“Last month’s figures capped a challenging year, with total shopper traffic down in 2025. This marks the third consecutive year of annual footfall decline, reflecting the continuing evolution in shopping habits and the retail landscape.”

Andy Sumpter, from Sensormatic, said: “Shopper traffic rallied outside traditional peak days, showing festive buying patterns are changing.

“And while UK footfall fell year on year, it was the second strongest among G7 markets in December – a sign of resilience in a tough trading climate.”