Festive shoppers put off by storms as footfall drops

Shoppers in the West Midlands have described waiting for post-Christmas sales to buy presents as retail footfall figures slumped.

The region experienced one of the UK's sharpest drops in December footfall compared to the previous year, according to figures released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Shopper numbers fell by 6.3% overall, compared to the national average of 5%.

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Birmingham-based British Independent Retailers Association, said the monthly figures were "really disappointing".

Stormy weather and ongoing spending caution have been blamed for retailers across the UK experiencing a drop in customers in December.

Footfall in Glasgow and Manchester dropped 9.6% and 9.3% respectively, while in Birmingham, numbers were down by 6.5%.

"December's such a pivotal month... you need footfall, you need people out there on the streets looking around and buying," Mr Goodacre added.

"We're now in January and February coming up, which are quiet months and it's the December sales that help those businesses get through those quiet months."

He said shoppers in the West Midlands had been particularly deterred by stormy weather and predicted more retailers would fail in 2024 than in previous years.

"It's been a tough year. The cost-of living crisis means people haven't been able to spend as much as they would normally spend," he added.

Shoppers in the Potteries Centre in Stoke-on-Trent described waiting for the sales to buy Christmas presents, and saving up all year to buy loved ones what they had asked for.

However, centre manager Amy Whittaker said although there had been fewer visitors they had bought more.

"Whereas last year I might have spent £30 maybe this year I've spent £40 or £50," she added. "There’s fewer shoppers but with a lot more bags."