FIGURES out this morning underline the true extent of the north's retail malaise as shoppers deserted high streets, shopping centres and retail parks over the crucial Christmas period.
The British Retail Consortium last week ignominiously declared 2019 as "the worst on record" for the UK's hard-pressed shopping sector.
And separate regional figures from industry analysts Springboard reveal that overall footfall in Northern Ireland in December was down a whopping 5.9 per cent.
It's the third time in six years that shopper numbers in the north have declined over the crucial festive period, which reflects the caution and spending restraint of consumers and typifies rock bottom consumer confidence
All of this was despite the occurrence of Black Friday during the December trading month which, in conjunction with Cyber Monday, meant the north’s footfall only declined by 0.4 per cent in the first two weeks.
"Essentially this discounting bonanza pulled Christmas trading forward, evident from the subsequent drop in footfall of 11.3 per cent over the third and fourth weeks of December which was more than double the 4.6 per cent drop in the same weeks in 2018," Springboard's insights director Diane Wehrle said.
"Even supermarket spending only rose by 0.2 per cent in December, indicating that this restraint also encompassed food and consumables during a month in which these items are key."
Springboard said that on St Stephen's Day footfall up to 5pm whilst stores were trading declined by 16.4 per cent inNorthern Ireland.
But after 5pm, when most stores were shutting, the decline in footfall was a third less at 10.4 per cent, with restaurants and bars benefitting.
