Overview
- MRI Software reported a 1.6% year-on-year rise in UK footfall on Dec. 27, with high streets up 2.4%, retail parks up 2.1% and shopping centres down 0.6%.
- Boxing Day delivered a 10-year high in visits, up 4.4% overall, led by an 8.8% jump at retail parks, 3.6% on high streets and 2.1% at shopping centres.
- Traffic built later in the day on both dates, which analysts said reflects shoppers pairing sale hunts with dining and leisure trips.
- Because MRI measures visits, not transactions, the uplift cannot be read as stronger sales, and industry forecasts still point to only modest festive spending growth (New West End Company 1.3%, PwC 3.5%).
- Retailers will confirm performance in January trading statements, starting with Next on Jan. 6 followed by Marks & Spencer and Tesco on Jan. 8.