UK Retail Footfall Rises 2.4% in March

UK retail footfall rose 2.4 percent in March compared with the previous year, marking the first positive growth in nearly a year and signaling a tentative recovery after a sharp decline the prior month. The uptick, reported by the British Retail Consortium and Sensormatic, was driven largely by an early Easter holiday that fell in March this year rather than April, alongside school breaks and improving weather that drew shoppers back to stores.

The increase reversed February's 4.7 percent drop and followed smaller declines of 0.6 percent in January and 4.5 percent in February. All major retail destinations saw gains: shopping centers recorded the strongest rise at 2.6 percent, retail parks followed with 2.5 percent, and high streets improved by 2.0 percent after a 5.4 percent fall in February. The data covers the five weeks ending April 4.

Growth was widespread across the UK, with every nation posting year-on-year increases. Northern Ireland led with a 4.9 percent rise, followed by Scotland at 3.2 percent, England at 2.3 percent, and Wales at 1.6 percent. Within England, Manchester experienced the largest surge, with footfall up more than 9 percent, while London saw a 3.3...