Around the country it was London and the Southeast that fared worst. Shopper numbers in the area were down 5.1 per cent year on year, more than 2 per cent worse than for any other region. Retail in the capital's congestion zone itself continued to suffer badly in the wake of the July bombings, with weekly shopper numbers still fluctuating at between 10 and 15 per cent lower than last year.
'In some respects the August figures will come as a relief to retailers,' said SPSL director of knowledge management Dr Tim Denison. 'They represent a significant improvement on July's comparisons, which were the worst since 2001. They also indicate that the downturn in retail footfall has now stabilised at about 1 per cent below last year and is not continuing to worsen.
'However, it must be said that retailers' tactics have helped. Extensions to the summer Sales have played a part in boosting August's shopper numbers. The fact remains, though, that there is nothing to suggest that things will turn around this side of Christmas, which will provide little comfort for those retailers who are running out of ideas,' he said.
No comments yet