Omicrom surge hits Christmas shop numbers
Hopes for a last-minute Christmas boost for shops were dampened by the rise of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, working from home and consumer nervousness, new figures confirm.
Footfall across all retail destinations in December was 18.6% below the 2019 level – the worst result since August and a significant drop off from November which fell 14.5% below 2019, data from retail traffic counter Springboard shows.
Analysts say footfall was clearly affected by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and the introduction of Plan B guidance by the Government from the third week of the month.
This meant that the usual increase in shoppers in the run-up to Christmas did not materialise – with the greatest fall being on high streets, where the gap in footfall from the 2019 level widened to a drop of 22.2% from 15.8% in November.
Shopping centres saw visitor numbers 24.1% lower than 2019 but the deterioration from November, when it was 22% lower, was more modest.
Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director at Springboard, said: "Footfall at shops was impacted by an increase in consumer nervousness around the rapid rise in infections and the risk of missing out on Christmas, households isolating due to infection and the re-introduction of working from home.
"The biggest challenge for the retail sector in the weeks to come will be the ongoing working from home guidance that suppresses footfall, combined with increasing staff shortages due to isolation and the return of goods purchased over the Christmas period."