At least someone finds something good to say about this year's short-lived summer
Autumnal weather has attracted customers back into stores this quarter, according to traffic analyst Footfall.

The researcher's latest figures show UK shopper numbers for the third quarter rose 3.3 per cent, compared with the same period last year. July was the worst performing month, with a year-on-year dip of 0.4 per cent.

Footfall director of marketing and strategy David Smyth said: 'This was partly due to consumers relaxing after the hype of Euro 2004 and the accompanied spending on beer and TVs. The Indian summer of last year kept shoppers out of stores. While retailers were stocking for autumn, consumers were still enjoying the last glimmers of a warm summer.'

In September, year-on-year growth in shopper footfall was 5.6 per cent.