The number of Christmas Eve shoppers visiting the high street has slumped by almost a third compared with last year, as Sunday trading hours hit last-minute sales.
Footfall at retail parks, high streets and shopping centres has dropped by 30pc compared with last Christmas Eve, according to the real estate software company MRI. The steepest falls were in market towns, where footfall dropped by 42pc.
However, Jenni Matthews, of MRI Software, noted that the number of shoppers across the country had ticked up by 5pc in the past week, mostly driven by a rush at retail parks and shopping centres. “This suggests today will primarily be used to grab those last-minute groceries and gifts before the shops are set to close for two days in some cases,” she said.
Ms Matthews noted that footfall this Christmas Eve was lower than normal. “Last year Christmas Eve was on Saturday whereas this year it falls on a Sunday, and many stores and destinations are adhering to normal Sunday trading hours.”
December sales are the biggest month of the year for most retailers, accounting for a tenth of their total revenue, according to the British Retail Consortium, a trade body.
Scott Parsons, of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said that last year the Westfield shopping centres in London welcomed around 300,000 shoppers on Boxing Day alone.
“Always one of our busiest days, we see last-minute present shoppers replaced by savvy bargain hunters.”
However, news of fewer Christmas Eve shoppers on high streets and in shopping centres comes as fears grow that Britain is at risk of falling into a recession next year.
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
