Boxing Day sales slump: Footfall on High Streets is down 47% compared to 2019

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Post-Christmas sales on the high street took a nosedive today, dropping by nearly a half compared to 2019 as shoppers shunned city centres amid Omicron fears sweeping the country. 

Retail analyst Springboard said footfall figures, up to midday, were better than Boxing Day but still down 37.2 per cent on the whole compared to 2019, as concerns surrounding the recent wave of coronavirus infections continued. 

Despite long queues from 3am outside some of the UK’s biggest stores including Marks & Spencer, Next and John Lewis, high streets suffered a 47 per cent drop on sales recorded in 2019, while shopping centres saw a 42.3 per cent slump.

There were queues outside stores in the West End on Monday morning, with masked shoppers waiting outside Next on Oxford Street from 4am. 

Shops on Boxing Day are usually bustling with customers hunting for post-Christmas bargains, but the footfall in high streets was 37.7% lower than in 2019, while it dropped 48.4% in shopping centres and 40.2% in retail parks. 

Retail parks fared much better today but footfall there was still 10.9 per cent down on the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. 

Central London suffered its second major drop in footfall in as many days with a 61.8 per cent drop to go with a 67 per cent decrease on Boxing Day, when compared to the same dates in 2019. 

Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard, said: ‘Footfall today is still much lower than footfall on 27th December 2019.

‘However, in contrast with Boxing Day, retail parks have been more popular than either high streets or shopping centres.

‘The greater attraction of retail parks is in part likely to be a result of shoppers restocking groceries following the weekend’s festivities.’

People at shopping sites across the UK on Boxing Day up to noon yesterday was 45 per cent below the 2019 level, according to data from Springboard.

Boxing Day this year ended with footfall 41 per cent lower than on Boxing Day 2019, a long way short of delivering the hoped-for boost in post-Christmas sales for retailers. 

In contrast with today, high streets had a more successful Boxing Day – down 37.7 per cent from 2019 – compared to shopping centres which saw a 48.4 per cent drop and retail parks where footfall was down 40.2 per cent.

However, many of the UK’s biggest store were closed yesterday as a thank-you to staff who had toiled so hard during the Covid pandemic. The UK’s largest toy chain, The Entertainer, also stayed shut on religious grounds, as it does every Sunday.

Early this morning, eager shoppers were seen queuing outside shops, some from about 3am, keen to get their hands on some bargains.  

Customers could be seen lining up for at least 500 metres at the Brotherhood Retail Park in Peterborough to get into clothes store Next, with a similar story at the company’s Liverpool outlet, while customers queued for three hours outside the Silverlink Shopping Park store in North Tyneside.

Next is traditionally the first store to open on Boxing Day – at 6am – and often attracts long queues of shoppers hoping to make the most of the discounted prices. 

In Cardiff shoppers were seen queuing outside its branch in Queen Street from the very early hours until the doors were opened at 6am. Customers were offered surgical face masks by staff keen to make sure people were safe while they were lining up to get inside.  

Speaking of today’s half-day results, Diana Werhle added: ‘City centres around the UK are more popular than local high streets today, although footfall remains 43 per cent down on 2019 ( down 52.9 per cent in market towns).

‘Footfall is weaker in Central London than in large city centres elsewhere in the UK ( down 61.8 per cent from 2019) which in part is likely to be a result of cancellations of trains restricting shoppers’ ability to get into the capital.

‘Footfall is largely consistent across all areas of the UK despite more stringent restrictions having come into force in the devolved nations.’

The decision to open shops a day later and a lack of confidence among the public following the spread of the Omicron coronavirus strain meant footfall was lower on Boxing Day.

In central London on Sunday, footfall was 67 per cent lower than 2019 numbers, while it was 58 per cent below 2019 in other major UK cities.

Market towns fared slightly better, seeing a 12 per cent decrease from 2019 shopping traffic, while there was only a seven per cent drop in outer London.

And the West End Company, which represents 600 business across Oxford Street, Bond Street, Regent Street and in Mayfair, said footfall there was down 44 per cent compared to 2019.

 

Chief Executive Jace Tyrrell said: ‘As expected, footfall for Boxing Day remained down on pre-pandemic levels as London continues to feel the effects of the Omicron variant, with swathes of people choosing to remain home to browse the sales online rather than risk travelling into city centres.

‘This, combined with the limitations of Sunday Trading regulations saw a muted start to the post-Christmas sales period.

‘We hope that the Prime Minister will provide further clarity on possible restrictions this week to ensure that businesses are given enough time to prepare for any further changes.’

Earlier today, however, there were some busy areas, as hundreds of shoppers crammed into a Selfridges store in London.

Customers armed with umbrellas and wearing their winter jackets streamed through the fashion chain’s store on Oxford Street as the branch opened its doors to shoppers at 11am.

At the Silverlink retail park in North Tyneside, hundreds of people wrapped up warm in thick coats and bobble hats ahead of the store’s grand opening at 6am as they waited in chilly temperatures.

Armed with carrier bags and credit cards, the shoppers poured into the store as soon as the doors opened while wearing masks, hoping to save money on clothes, perfumes and homeware goods.

Meanwhile others were spotted gathering outside a JD Sports store at Birmingham‘s Bull Ring as the clothes chain also launched its Boxing Day sales. 

New coronavirus restrictions came into force yesterday in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which may have had an impact on the number of shoppers hitting the sales.

Footfall in Northern Ireland was 73 per cent below the 2019 level, 63 per cent lower in Wales, and almost 50 per cent lower in Scotland.

Restrictions of pushed buyers online, where shoppers plan to spend more in this year’s post-Christmas sales than they have in the last two years.

Shoppers are expected to spend an average of £247 each in the end-of-year sales – an increase of £85 on 2020 and £61 more than 2019.

Around 30 per cent of bargain hunters have admitted they started browsing the sales on Christmas Eve, while 27 per cent will have spent some time shopping on Christmas Day, according to the latest research.

Despite the drop in footfall, large queues formed outside the Trafford Centre in Manchester yesterday with shoppers waiting since 8am, while bargain hunters also lined up outside Primark in Birmingham and Zara in Bristol.

There were also queues outside Selfridges, Boots, Primark, Disney and Zara on Oxford Street in London.

British Retail Consortium spokesperson Tom Holder said: ‘The spread of Omicron across the UK has increased the share of spending made online as many consumers avoided town and city centres.

‘While spending on travel and hospitality may be lower than their pre-pandemic levels, retailers are waiting to see whether this leads to higher spending on retail goods, particularly food and homeware.’ 

Queueing outside the Disney store in Oxford Street, London, to shop on her daughter’s behalf, Nic Portway, from London, told the PA news agency she was not planning on spending much in the sales but was happy to still go to the shops in person despite the rise in Covid cases.

She said: ‘I am not really surprised by how many people are out because we have got to get on with it, there is always going to be another variant so what do we do?

‘We can’t keep locking down every time there is a new variant otherwise everything will just stop.’

Another shopper said she only came out on Boxing Day because her planned Christmas Day online shopping at Zara fell through due to an error on the app.

The woman said: ‘I was surprised to see this many people out and about, when I walked down Oxford Circus there was hardly anyone around, but then when I arrived at Oxford Street there were big queues, all around the corners.’

Masks were worn by most shoppers on Oxford Street, whether in a queue or walking around but many of the shops were not full of people. 

Elsewhere stores including Primark, JD Sports, New Look, Zara, Selfridges, and H&M opened their doors to shoppers looking to land a festive bargain yesterday morning.

Amazon, Boots and Asos have all launched their Boxing Day sales early on their websites, with the prices of sought-after items, such as Apple AirPods, slashed.

In Manchester, a crowd of excited shoppers waited by the doors of Primark, on Market Street, ahead of its opening time at 10.30am on Sunday.

One local told the Manchester Evening News: ‘They’ve all gone into Primark – it opened up and they all piled in. There’s a queue at Selfridges as well.

‘It was quiet earlier this morning – a few people were milling around – but it’s busier now.’

The latest research, which was commissioned by Barclaycard Payments, showed that 31 per cent of shoppers will buy clothes, shoes and accessories while 25 per cent of shopper have food and drink at the top of their sales lists this year.

And savvy savers say discounted Christmas-related items, such as decorations, are close behind, with 24 per cent of shoppers looking to make savings now by preparing for Christmas 2022.  

The research also found Brits will also be sales shopping with families and friends in mind, with 24 per cent planning to buy gifts for their nearest and dearest.

A fifth are shopping for deals on experiences they can share such as concert tickets, and the same number are hoping to book a discounted holiday to make up for missed trips over the past year.

Similarly, 29 per cent said they would be shopping for next Christmas and 22 per cent would be looking for Mother’s Day gifts.

However 47 per cent of those polled believe inflation may affect how much they buy overall, with 49 per cent of these shoppers intending to spend less than they usually would. 

Harshna Cayley, Head of Online Payments, Barclaycard Payments, said: ‘The rise in spending when compared to the last two years is a reassuring sign for retailers.

‘It shows that, despite inflation increasing and worries about the new Covid-19 variant, consumers are keen to continue the tradition of sales shopping; even when some of the larger retailers are closing their physical stores on Boxing Day itself.

‘Yet, we are also becoming more conscious about the purchases we make.

‘With environmental concerns and the cost of everyday living front of mind, many Brits are seeking sustainable goods and services but also, financially planning for the year ahead by taking advantage of deals to buy items for celebrations in the New Year.’