The UK retail sector saw lacklustre footfall in its crucial golden quarter, topping off a “disappointing” year for physical shopping, according to British Retail Consortium (BRC) figures.

For retailers, success in the ‘golden quarter’ – the final quarter of the year when seasonal events like Christmas traditionally provide a sales surge – is vital. However, in the three months to December 2024, UK footfall fell 2.5% year-on-year, according to BRC and Sensormatic figures. This decrease in footfall during the golden quarter is faster than the decline across the year.

Focusing on December, total UK footfall fell 2.2% compared to 2023. This was an improvement on November’s figures, which saw footfall decline 4.5%. The later timing of Black Friday in 2024 has an impact on November’s footfall figures, the BRC notes.

High Street footfall decreased by 2.7% in December year-on-year, up from -3.7% in November. Shopper footfall at retail parks was flat at 0.0% in December compared to 2023 levels, rising from -1.1% in November.

Returning to December’s figures, Northern Ireland saw the biggest decrease in retail footfall, with the number of shoppers down 5.8% year-on-over. Indeed, footfall was in decline across the nations of the UK, with Wales down 2.6%, England down 2.1% and Scotland down 1.5%. 

Ecommerce didn’t kill the high street – retailers did

A “promising” Black Friday weekend was offset by a “lacklustre festive season”, explains BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson. The “drab December” contributed to 2024 becoming the second year in a row where festive footfall has fallen.

She notes high streets and shopping centres were particularly hard-hit in December, while retail parks fared a little better as shoppers were attracted by the promise of free parking and bigger shops.

“Shopping habits have been changing fast and customers are increasingly looking for more experiential shopping, as well as a variety of cafes, services and things to do,” says Dickinson, who argues the current business rates system is holding back brands from investing in towns and high streets.

“With retailers facing £7bn in additional costs this year from increased tax and regulations, the changes to the business rates system must be made in way that supports retail investment and growth in the years ahead,” she adds.

Analysing the figures, Sensormatic retail consultant EMEA Andy Sumpter notes there were some “flurries of festive footfall around a few key trading days”, but that these were not enough to offset “subdued” shopper traffic throughout the month.