UK high street crisis laid bare after damning Boxing Day sales | UK | News
Damning Boxing Day figures have laid bare the dire state of the UK’s high streets. Visits to British shopping streets are down 1.5% in 2024, data shows. Meanwhile, according to MRI Software figures, there was a 0.6% decrease in shopping malls.
The research also showed 6.7% more people visited retail parks compared to the same period last year. Barclays has predicted shoppers will spend £3.6bn in today’s sales, compared to the £4.6bn it forecast in 2024.
It’s not just in-person shopping that looks bad, the amount of money spent online is also expected to decrease. This is despite those planning to shop having increased their budgets by £17 compared to 2024, as detailed in Barclays’ consumer spending report.
said Diane Wehrle, CEO of Rendle Intelligence and Insights. he told the BBC: “As we approach Christmas, consumers have really pulled back on their spending because they are so nervous, especially ahead of the Budget in November.”
Others hosted one of the retail park figures.
Jenni Matthews, retail analyst at MRI Software, told the Press Association earlier today: “This is a really positive start to Boxing Day, which we haven’t seen for a number of years.
“This is really encouraging and especially considering the retail sector has also had a pretty challenging start to the year.
“So it’s a really strong finish this year.”
He added that analysts normally wouldn’t see these figures for several days, and added that these numbers are even more encouraging considering many stores are still closed.
Ms Matthews said retail parks were particularly good as they offered accommodation and entertainment venues as well as shops, where people could dine or engage in activities rather than just shopping.
Katie Wyle, managing director of customer and retail operations for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield in Northern Europe, said: “Boxing at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City delivered a strong performance, with early indicators pointing to solid, broad-based trading across beauty and wellness, home and luxury.
“Visitors spent their days alternating between shopping, dining and entertainment, enjoying a longer stay in our centres.
“The results suggest that although shopping remains central to Boxing Day, people are increasingly seeing it as a full-day opportunity that combines retail, dining and entertainment rather than focusing on a single transaction.”
