December footfall falters as shoppers hold out for sales

Consumer numbers dipped amid rising bills and food costs, with shoppers holding out for Sales, the report covering November 30 to January 3 suggested.

Overall, total UK footfall in 2025 was down 0.8% compared to 2024. It also decreased by 2.2% year on year in the three-month golden quarter (October to December).

High street, retail park and shopping centre footfall all slipped in December by 0.9%, 2.5% and 5.1% respectively, while total UK footfall for the month dropped 2.9% year on year, down from -0.8% in November.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Many consumers held off for post-Christmas Sales, with the week after Christmas the only one to see a significant uplift.

“Shoppers were also browsing less in the lead-up to Christmas, making fewer, but more targeted, shopping trips, particularly in shopping centres, which saw the largest drop in footfall.

“Last month’s figures capped a challenging year, with total shopper traffic down in 2025. This marks the third consecutive year of annual footfall decline, reflecting the continuing evolution in shopping habits and the retail landscape.”

Shopping venues that bucked the trend were those that created a “complete offering” by making themselves a destination for additional pursuits such as eating, drinking and leisure activities, she added.

Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic, said: “Retail hasn’t necessarily got harder, it’s just become less forgiving, from shifting consumer demand to rising cost-bases across labour and business rate reform.

“This means retailers must break the cycle where cost-cutting impedes investment in the capabilities and services needed for sustainable growth.”

He added that there were still pockets of demand to be tapped, despite the challenges. “Shopper traffic rallied outside traditional peak days, showing festive buying patterns are changing,” he said. “And while UK footfall fell year on year, it was the second strongest among G7 markets in December – a sign of resilience in a tough trading climate.” 

The findings come after separate research from retail tech experts MRI Software – which measures footfall by street traffic rather than by the number of people entering stores – recorded the strongest footfall performance in a decade on Boxing Day, climbing 4.4% year on year across all retail destinations. 

The research found that evening visits were up almost 10%, indicating that post-Christmas trading is moving away from purely transactional shopping towards eating out, leisure, social and experiential activity.

This week, plans to revitalise London’s Oxford Street picked up pace as mayor Sir Sadiq Khan convened the team leading the new Oxford Street Development Corporation Board.

Khan intends to transform the iconic street, which hosts around half a million visitors each day, into a world-leading urban space for shopping, leisure and outdoor events.