Record-breaking May temperatures led to a sharp fall in shopper footfall, with shopping centres and retail parks suffering especially badly, figures show.
Sunny weather initially encouraged more consumers to the shops, but soaring heat towards the end of the month led to an overall 2.6% drop in UK footfall across the month, according to British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Sensormatic data.
Shopping centre visits were down 2.4%, while the high street emerged relatively unscathed with a 1.5% fall.
Footfall rose by 0.4% in Scotland, but Northern Ireland, England and Wales experienced declines of 1%, 3% and 5 respectively.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “While the warmer weather initially encouraged more people to the shops, the record-breaking temperatures at the end of the month resulted in a sharp decline in footfall, particularly at shopping centres and retail parks.
“Only high streets bucked the trend, as those who were out and about took the opportunity to pop into their local stores.”
She added: “Households remain anxious about the long-term impact of the Iran conflict and inflation and expect prices to rise over the year.
“By tackling the inflationary pressures on the horizon, Government can help rebuild consumer confidence, ultimately supporting footfall.”
Andy Sumpter, from Sensormatic, said: “Consumer confidence may be edging up slightly but it remains fragile, with geopolitical uncertainty continuing to weigh on discretionary spend.”
