FOOTFALL in shops across the North fell by 2.2% in July – down from -0.6% in June.
The picture for shopping centres was even bleaker – footfall decreased by 3.8% in July year-on year, down from -1.6% in June.
There was slightly better news for Belfast city centre where footfall increased by 0.3%, down from 3.7% in May, according to data just released by the Northern Ireland Retial Consortium (NIRC) and Sensormatic IQ.
Neil Johnston, Director of the NIRC, said: “Consumers prioritised experiences, eating out and holidays over visits to stores in July, with shopper footfalldown 2.2% compared to the same period the year before.
“This weakness was felt across all retail destinations compared to the month before. That said, store visits in Belfast remained a touch above the levels of twelve months ago, and Northern Ireland as a whole was the third best performer of the twelve parts of the UK surveyed.
“These somewhat feeble footfall results will be a disappointment for retailers who had been hoping for a shopper dividend from the combination of falling shop price inflation, cuts in employee national insurance contributions, and the rosier outlook for household disposable incomes.”
Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, said: “Despite a warmer and drier month compared to the wash-out that was June, July’s footfall faltered with shopper traffic falling back compared to last month. With only one of the last 12 months returning yearly footfall gains, and as we approach almost a full year of shopper counts yo-yo-ing, it’s clear the longtail of the cost-of-living crisis is continuing to rattle consumer confidence, prompting spending caution and making consumer behaviour less predictable.
"With election fever now over and the school holidays now in full swing, retailers will be hoping that spells a positive outlook for store performance in the months to come.”
