Consumers more prepared to spend on a short break
Retailers expecting to get a lift from higher shopper numbers this Bank Holiday weekend could find their hopes dashed by shoppers heading out of town or staying in to catch the climax of the Ashes cricket tournament.

According to customer traffic monitor FootFall, shopper numbers are likely to be flat at best, compared with last year's August Bank Holiday. This compares with a 16 per cent increase in customer traffic year on year, experienced last year.

According to tourism organisation Visit Britain, one in four Brits are planning to get away this weekend. FootFall predicts 1.6 million people will leave the UK on holiday.

FootFall marketing manager Natasha Burton believes the Bank Holiday could be a non-starter in terms of enticing people back to the high street, because retailers started their sales early this summer. Even retailers discounting further could be disappointed.

She warned: 'There's also the anticipation of unsettled weather, as well as the huge national interest in the cricket. Ashes fever has been a big surprise this summer and its huge popularity has inevitably hit the number of shoppers. The final day of the last Test saw Channel 4 record its largest ever viewing figures, with 7.7 million.'

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