The latest figures from the British Retail Consortium have indicated that footfall in January was 1.2% lower than 2014, with shopping centres having the biggest decline, falling 2.8% and high street footfall falling 1.6%. However with a 1.5% increase year-on-year, out-of-town locations came out the best.
In a statement, Helen Dickinson, director general of the BRC said: "It has been heartening to see that footfall is up 1.5 per cent on January last year for out-of-town retail destinations. This reflects strong consumer confidence – more of us are happier to splash out on big ticket items, particularly furniture, which we usually travel out of town to view and buy.
"January is traditionally strong for online sales and this year was no exception. This has undoubtedly impacted on footfall for high streets and shopping centres and is further evidence of the impact of our changing shopping habits. Retailers will be looking closely at these figures to help them harness the growth of e-retailing to drive consumers to their bricks and mortar stores. Click-and-collect services are an excellent example of how this is happening right now and innovations in this area are set to continue for some time to come.
