FOOTFALL at the north's high streets and shopping centres grew modestly last month, according to the latest figures. Shopper numbers were 0.2 per cent higher in September compared to the same month last year, according to footfall statistics from the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC).
The statistics, produced by Springboard, put the north ahead of the UK average which experienced a 0.9 per cent decline in footfall.
Northern Ireland has reported an increase in shopper numbers in six months this year, including a 4.2 per cent rise in August.
The three-month average across the UK was a 0.9 per cent drop in footfall.
Out-of-town destinations were the only shopping experience to report a UK-wide increase, with footfall 0.5 per cent higher than a year ago, while footfall on the high street was down 0.6 per cent on the previous year
Footfall in shopping centres was 2.6 per cent down on the previous year for September, the deepest decline since October 2013.
NIRC director Aodhán Connolly said: "It is encouraging to see we again have positive growth in our footfall in Northern Ireland, even if it is slight.
"The figure of 0.2 per cent growth may seem insignificant but it must be remembered that any growth is a positive sign, that we have performed better than the national average of a decline of 0.9 per cent and most of all we have had six months growth in footfall this year.''
Diane Wehrle, retail insights director at Springboard added: "The 0.2 per cent drop in footfall in Northern Ireland is slightly more favourable than the fall of 0.9 per cent across the UK as a whole.
"High Streets are the clear winners, whilst the 4 per cent drop in footfall in shopping centres reflects their dominance by fashion retailers, and the fact that it was this sector that suffered from the unusually warm weather in September and the concomitant impact on fashion sales.
"Whilst out of town locations still recorded a positive result in September, reflecting the positive sales in furniture and household goods, the fact that the increase in footfall is by far the most modest of any month in 2014 suggests this channel has felt the impact of the poor performance in fashion - a strong indicator that their success now also hinges on this sector.''
Scotland experienced the greatest rise in footfall, reporting a rise of 2 per cent on the previous year while Wales reported a footfall decline of 1.1 per cent.