Business

Shopping footfall figures on the rise compared to 2013

NORTHERN Ireland bucked the UK trend in footfall figures last month, with high streets and shopping centres in the north outperforming Britain, with footfall on the up.

Footfall increased by 4.2 per cent in the month compared to the same time last year - while shops in the UK overall experienced a 1.1 per cent decline.

That is according to the latest figures from the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) produced by Springboard. The numbers made up for a 5.2 per cent fall recorded in July.

It was the fourth month this year that Northern Ireland has produced the highest increase in footfall figures in the UK.

Across the UK, footfall on the high street was 2.8 per cent down on the previous year for August. Out-of-town shops reported the only rise, 2.9 per cent higher than a year ago, while footfall in shopping centres was down 1.1 per cent on the previous year.

NIRC director Aodhán Connolly said: "We are delighted to see that footfall figures in Northern Ireland are again on the rise again after a dip in July. "This means that not only have we had a rise in footfall year on year for five of the past six months, but Northern Ireland has had the highest regional or country footfall figures in the UK for the fourth month this year. "In fact, in August our figures were 5.3 per cent higher than the UK national average. "Of course this is a positive trend for Northern Ireland, but there is still much work to be done. Our vacancy rate is still five per cent higher than the national average, although it continues to fall; and we must remember that increased footfall does not directly correlate to increased sales. "What is clear is that increased consumer confidence, falling unemployment and economists saying that although the recovery in Northern Ireland has slowed, it remains on track, means that there is reason for some reserved optimism on the high street."

Diane Wehrle, retail insights director at Springboard, said: "Northern Ireland bounced back in August with an increase in footfall of 4.2 per cent compared to a drop of in footfall of 5.2 per cent in July and a modest drop in August 2013 of 1.5 per cent. "Retail sales across the UK rose in August, primarily driven by clothing and footwear - traditionally town centre focused purchases - and the favourable footfall results indicate that Northern Ireland has been successful in capturing its share of this uplift."