Key facts
- Record June temperatures have caused a significant drop in UK retail footfall.
- Retail footfall across the UK was as much as 10 per cent lower this week.
- In London, high street footfall saw dips of up to 13.3 per cent on Wednesday.
- Shopping centre footfall remained stable, while retail park footfall saw a slight increase.
- British pubs experienced a 12 per cent rise in transactions during the heatwave.
Record June temperatures have significantly impacted British high streets, driving shoppers away and dealing a blow to retailers. Retail footfall across the UK dropped by as much as 10 per cent this week as consumers sought to avoid the sweltering heat.
In London, where temperatures reached 36C, the impact was more severe. Retail footfall in the capital slipped by 6.9 per cent on Sunday, followed by dips of 10.8 per cent on Tuesday and 13.3 per cent on Wednesday. Nationally, high streets experienced their largest decline in shopper traffic on Thursday, down 9.8 per cent.
In contrast, shopping centre footfall remained relatively stable, and retail park footfall saw a marginal increase of 0.2 per cent on Thursday. Analysts suggest this indicates a shift towards essential purchases, potentially for cooling appliances from DIY and homeware stores.
This trend mirrors a similar impact from a previous heatwave in May, when high street traffic fell by 19 per cent on the hottest May day on record. Andy Sumpter, a retail consultant at Sensormatic, noted that consumers made only short or necessary trips to shops and expects footfall to remain constrained as temperatures continue to rise.
However, the heatwave provided a boost to British pubs, with transactions increasing by 12 per cent this week. Harvir Dhillon, an economist at the British Retail Consortium, expressed hope that retailers' online platforms may have seen increased custom. He added that consumers adapt by shopping online or during cooler parts of the day.
Several City institutions, including JP Morgan Chase, ING, and Deutsche, allowed their employees to work from home during the heatwave.