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Summer holidays 'pandemic panic' causes retail footfall decline

Summer holidays 'pandemic panic' causes retail footfall decline
Dan Martin
Dan MartinDan Martin Content & Events

Posted: Thu 5th Aug 2021

People fearful of being forced to self-isolate and cancel their summer holidays contributed to a decline in retail footfall in July.

Data from Springboard showed the number of UK shoppers fell by 24.9% last month compared to July 2019, more than the 22.9% decrease in June. At -30.5%, high streets saw the biggest fall with -30.2% in shopping centres and -4.2% in retail parks.

Footfall was impacted by the very hot weather followed by rain, but the report said shoppers also curtailed visits to stores in case it resulted in them being pinged by the coronavirus tracking app, needing to self isolate and missing out on their summer holiday bookings.

Retail visits grew by 16.5% week-on-week on 19 July, the so-called 'Freedom Day' when restrictions were removed in England, but it dropped to a very modest increase averaging around +3% on the following days of the month.

It is believed around one million were told to self-isolate in the week to 21 July.

In response to complaints by businesses about the impact of the 'pingdemic' on both customer numbers and staff having to isolate, the NHS COVID-19 app was updated this week to ensure fewer people receive alerts.

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Dan Martin
Dan MartinDan Martin Content & Events
I'm a freelance content creator and event host who helps small businesses and the organisations that support them. I'm also Enterprise Nation's Local Leader for Bristol. I have 19 years of experience as a small business journalist having interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs from billionaires like Sir Richard Branson to the founders behind brand new start-ups. I've worked for a range of leading small business publications and support groups, most recently as head of content at Enterprise Nation where I was responsible for the prolific output of content on the company's blog and social media. I now freelance for Enterprise Nation including hosting the Small Business sessions podcast. I'm based in Bristol where I run and host regular events with the local small business community in my role as Enterprise Nation's Local Leader for Bristol. I also have strong connections with other major business organisations in the south west region. In total, I've hosted over 100 events including conferences with an audience of hundreds for international brands like Xero and Facebook and live web chats from inside 10 Downing Street. With my partner, I co-run Lifestyle District, a lifestyle blog focused on culture, art, theatre and photography.

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