In December 2022 UK retail footfall was at its highest level since the start of the pandemic.

This was despite rail disruption and the cold snap keeping many shoppers from visiting town centers and high streets in the last week before Christmas.The five weeks from November 27, 2022, to December 31, 2022, saw footfall that was down only 7.3 per cent compared to three years ago, which was six percentage points better than in November 2022, and also better than the three-month average decline of ten percent.

Total UK footfall last year was only 11.8 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, a big improvement on 2021 when footfalls remained down 33 per cent on the pre-Covid period. In December 2022, high street footfalls declined nine per cent against three years ago while retail parks were down only five percent compared to the last buoyant December before the global health crisis hit.Shopping center footfall was down a heftier 19 per cent.

However, Northern Ireland saw the shallowest footfall decline of all UK nations and regions at three per cent followed by England at 8.7 per cent and Wales at 9.6 per cent. Scotland saw the steepest decline at 9.9 per cent. On a one-year basis, total footfall increased by 15.1 per cent with high streets up 19.7 per cent and shopping centers up 13.4 per cent. Retail parks were down, but only by 1.6 per cent.