Black Friday Footfall Dips Year-on-Year But Sees Weekly Surge Amidst Consumer Caution

UK footfall on Black Friday experienced a 3% year-on-year decline, according to analytics from Sensormatic Solutions ShopperTrak. This drop suggests a degree of consumer caution and potentially constrained purchasing power. Despite this annual dip, the day still saw significant activity, with footfall rising an impressive 54.9% week-on-week and standing 78.5% higher on average compared to the two Fridays preceding it.

The trend of shoppers spreading their spend was evident in the week leading up to Black Friday, which saw a 1.1% year-on-year increase in footfall. This suggests that while consumers may have been hesitant to concentrate their shopping on the 'big day' itself, they were engaging with promotions across a longer period. Andy Sumpter, EMEA Retail Consultant for Sensormatic, attributed this shift to "consumer caution disrupting demand patterns, shifting buying behaviours and creating spend hesitancy," partly due to "ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Autumn Budget" which was announced just two days prior to Black Friday.

On Black Friday itself, retail park destinations showed the greatest resilience, recording a marginal 0.2% year-on-year increase in store visits. However, shopping centres emerged as the top-performing retail destinations week-on-week, experiencing a substantial 63.8% rise in footfall compared to the previous week. This pattern of year-on-year decline but week-on-week growth was corroborated by MRI Software's footfall data.

MRI Software's analysis, covering retail footfall up to 5 pm on Black Friday, revealed an 11.3% uplift across all UK retail destinations compared to the previous Friday. Shopping centres led this weekly surge with a 14.7% rise, followed by high streets at 12.5%, and retail parks at 5.2%. Historic towns saw an even more significant increase of 24.1% week-on-week, likely boosted by festive markets and attractions enhancing their appeal.

Despite these weekly gains, the cost-of-living squeeze appeared to temper overall activity compared to the previous year. MRI Software data showed that retail footfall remained 3.3% lower than on Black Friday last year. High streets experienced a 4.3% decline, and shopping centres were down by 4.4% year-on-year, while retail parks again stood out with a marginal 0.1% rise in visits year-on-year, indicating their sustained appeal.

Looking at broader spending, the entire Black Friday weekend was predicted to see a 4.2% rise in UK spending, reaching an estimated £9.5 billion. Landsec, a major property owner with destinations like Bluewater and Liverpool One, anticipated over £95 million in spend across their properties during Black Friday week. Health & beauty was highlighted as the standout category for the second consecutive year, driven by consumers seeking "affordable luxuries" with an average transaction value of £23. Clothing was also expected to enjoy robust sales. Last year, Landsec's properties saw a 15% week-on-week footfall rise, with outlet centres experiencing a 55% surge in sales during the same period.