Retailers encouraged by shopper turnout
Footfall across Northern Ireland increased by 2.6% in July (year-on-year), up from -0.9% the previous month, latest data reveals.
Footfall in Belfast increased by 0.8% (year-on-year), up from -1.9% in June, while shopping centre footfall increased by 6.2% in July (year-on-year), up from 0.4% the previous month.
The most recent Northern Ireland Retail Consortium-Sensormatic data covers the fours weeks from 5th July to 1st August.
Director of NIRC, Neil Johnston said retailers were pleased to see that shoppers in Northern Ireland were out and about in July.
“The retail environment remains very challenging but in Northern Ireland the number of shoppers was up 2.6% while across the UK it was down by 2.1%,” said Neil.
“Northern Ireland was the second-best performing region in the UK just behind Scotland on 2.7%. London, by way of contrast was down by 5.3%.
“Northern Ireland and Scotland were the only places in the UK to record a significant increase in the number of shoppers compared to the same time last year. Partly this may be due to the fact that we largely had warm, dry, pleasant weather when much of England sweltered in a heatwave.
“Shopping centres seemed to fair best with numbers through shop doors up by 6.2% in Northern Ireland compared to a decline of 1.4% in shopping centres across the whole UK. Belfast was up by 0.8%, which while modest was one of the strongest performances across the UK.
“The heatwave may have had an impact in discouraging shoppers from heading out in other parts of the country but in Northern Ireland consumers seemed content to visit their retail hubs in encouraging numbers.”
Andy Sumpter, Head of Consulting & Analytics – EMEA for Sensormatic added: “July delivered a strong result for Northern Ireland, with footfall rising +2.6% year-on-year, making it the second strongest performing UK nation and a significant improvement over June.
“While Northern Ireland also experienced exceptionally warm weather during the month, conditions were less extreme than those seen across much of Great Britain, helping to support shopper activity. Shopping Centres performed particularly well, highlighting consumers’ continued appetite for destination-based retail when conditions are favourable.
“Growth in Belfast also helped underpin the region’s performance, providing a welcome contrast to the challenges seen in many larger UK cities. More broadly, July’s result suggests Northern Ireland continues to demonstrate a degree of resilience despite the wider pressures facing retail.
“While consumer behaviour remains cautious, this month’s return to stronger growth will be encouraging for retailers as they look to build momentum and convert footfall into meaningful spend through the remainder of the summer.”
