UK Footfall Trends: September 2024 Report
What’s the Big Picture?
Place Informatics, the UK’s go‑to footfall guru, just dropped its latest numbers for September 2024. The headline? England’s southern half is in a bit of a slump. But don’t worry— Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are still on the up‑and‑away track.
Month‑to‑Month vs. Year‑on‑Year
- Overall UK footfall rose by 4.49% versus August.
- However, year‑on‑year performance dipped by 1.93%.
- Retail parks held their own with a comfortable 3.0% YoY bump, while shopping centres only ticked up 0.6%.
Regional Performance
- North‑Ireland: +2.3% YoY (so happy boots there!)
- Scotland: +1.59% YoY
- Wales: +1.57% YoY
- England: —2.2% YoY (yikes!)
England’s Southern Breakdown
- South West: –3.96%
- South East: –3.18%
- East Anglia: –3.34%
These areas had been smashing it last year, so this year’s downturn feels like a sudden rain‑check.
Why the Dip?
Clive Hall, CEO of Place Informatics, wryly points out that weather played a starring role. September saw the UK down with an average of heavy rain— the South East logged a whopping 233% of its annual rainfall. Gloucestershire, Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire went all out with the wettest September on record.
Meanwhile, Scotland and Northern Ireland stayed sunny and dry, which helped keep their footfall numbers buoyant.
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