Slashed prices tempt shoppers to High Street

The Christmas rush has finally started on the High Street, according to the latest figures from Experian company FootFall – albeit two weeks late and heavily incentivised with discounting and sales.

Figures from the Experian Retail FootFall Index (RFI) for Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 December show an increase in shopper numbers compared with the same time last year. Saturday saw an increase of 3.8 per cent, climbing to nearly 9 per cent on Sunday, as widespread sales – launched in a last desperate bid to rescue this year’s retail washout – finally drew festive shoppers to the High Street.

Martin Davies from Experian comments: 'The month long waiting game between consumers and the High Street finally came to an end this weekend. Following two washout weekends, retailers finally gave in last week and launched extensive pre-Christmas sales in order to give a much-needed boost to shopper numbers.

'However, while the increase in footfall over the weekend will be a relief to retailers, shoppers had a lot of catching up to do and it is unlikely that the weekend’s activity will come close to making up for the slump of previous weeks. Consumers have learnt that holding out on purchases until the last minute increases their chances of buying at a discount and this has certainly proved true this year. With shopper numbers surging on Sunday, it is worth remembering that much spend will have been on discounted items, which is not necessarily good news for end-of-year retail profits.

'These days, clever shoppers tend to purchase in one or two big swoops rather than dragging the Christmas shopping process out over several months. It is possible that next weekend’s shopping will be divided between groceries and gifting, especially as shoppers can still order last minute gifts online until the end of the week. Whatever the turnout next weekend, it certainly seems that retail’s traditional "golden quarter" has given way to a much less prosperous "silver month".'

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