A FESTIVE boost and lack of snow helped paint a brighter picture on Britain’s high streets.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium today show footfall rose by 1.8% in the quarter to January – against a 23% fall in the previous three months.
But the BRC said this was largely due to brisk Christmas trading and strong favourable comparisons with Christmas 2010, when heavy snow kept many people at home.
Footfall improved in all types of locations – up by 3.1% for out-of-town sites, 1.4% for high street stores and 0.8% for shopping centres.
Among UK regions, Scotland, the South West, the Midlands and Eastern England all reported a fall in customer numbers.
Wales, Northern Ireland and the South East held up the best followed by Yorkshire with a 5.9% increase in footfall.
The national town centre vacancy rate – charting the number of empty shops – was 11.1% in January.
Yorkshire recorded the second highest rate at 12.9%, behind Northern Ireland on 14.1%.
BRC director Stephen Robertson said: “The lift in shopper numbers for the quarter is almost entirely down to a strong Christmas.
“But worries about personal finances and job security are putting people off shopping. “
