Customer traffic monitor FootFall revealed that the August Bank Holiday weekend failed to excite shoppers, with visitor numbers to the high street down 4.1 per cent against the same period last year.
The results were unexpected, because footfall levels over the last three weeks have been consistently rising, with this year's levels close to outperforming last year.
The low turnout over the weekend is particularly surprising, because the weather continued to be changeable, which would normally inspire people to go shopping and make the most of indoor areas such as department stores and shopping centres.
FootFall spokeswoman Natasha Burton said: 'Annual trends show that week 34, culminating in the Bank Holiday weekend, is traditionally the second peak of the summer and the last big push for the retail sector before the autumn half-term holidays and the Christmas build-up. It could be that the after-effects of the surprise decision to raise interest rates to 4.75 per cent earlier in the month are now being felt. This additional financial pressure on households could spell trouble for retailers, with many consumers curbing their spending habits over the coming weeks.'
Retail FootFall Index (RFI) - UK National:
August Bank Holiday weekend year-on-year
Change for weekend (26-28 August 2006 v 27-29 August 2005): - 4.1per cent
Change for Saturday (26 August 2006 v 27 August 2005): - 6.1 per cent
Change for Sunday (27 August 2006 v 28 August 2005): - 6.5 per cent
Change for Monday (28 August 2006 v 29 August 2005): +0.4 per cent
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