Decline of 3% in Northern Ireland retail footfall ‘best performance of UK regions’

The figures for October 27 to November 23 were released as hopeful retailers prepared for the annual shopping event of Black Friday today.

The Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) and Sensormatic report said year-on-year footfall had deteriorated from a rise of 1.3% in October.

However, the province’s November 2.8% deterioration was the smallest year on year decrease of the four UK nations, and better than the average UK decrease of 4.5%. The steepest decline was 7.1% in Wales.

But there was a significant slump for shopping centre footfall in Northern Ireland, which dropped by 7.3% in November, deteriorating from a 0.3% decrease in October.

In November, footfall in Belfast declined by 2.3% year on year, down from -0.6% in October. That was the third-best of 11 UK cities.

And the performance of the province overall placed it at fourth out of 13 regions – but best of the four nations.

Neil Johnston, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said: “Last month, Northern Ireland had the best footfall figures of the four nations in the UK, however, the number of shoppers was still down on last year.

“Footfall decreased year-on-year for all four nations, with Northern Ireland falling by 2.8%, England by 4.2%, Scotland by 6.8%, while Wales experienced the biggest decline at 7.1%.

“So, Northern Ireland is ‘best in class’ or perhaps ‘the best of a weak bunch’. Retailers in Northern Ireland will take little solace that things appear to be worse elsewhere.

“We hope that, while Black Friday and indeed Cyber Monday are not the headline grabbing events they once were, they will mark the beginning of healthy footfall and sales in the run up to Christmas.”

But he said the backdrop was one of growing pressures, including a lack of movement on rates reform in NI, and a hike in employer national insurance contributions UK-wide announced in the Budget on October 30.

“We also hope for more positive moves by government – either at Westminster or Stormont – in the coming weeks. The increase in employers’ national insurance costs imposed by government certainly doesn’t help and will hit retailers and the wider economy.

“It is encouraging that retailing in Northern Ireland continues to ‘hold its own’ in comparison to other parts of the UK. Retailers remain optimistic, as always, and hope shoppers will soon be getting into the Christmas spirit and hitting the shops.”

Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, said: “Retail store visits dipped in November as consumer confidence remains volatile, perhaps not helped by post-Budget spending jitters and shoppers withholding festive purchases, opting instead to shop around for the best prices or hold out for further discounting.

“This lacklustre footfall performance will have come as a blow for many retailers, who would have been counting on getting early Christmas trading results under their belts before the start of advent.

“However, it’s worth noting that these figures do not include Black Friday and the Saturday of the Black Friday weekend – tipped as one of the top busiest days for store shopping during peak trading – which will hopefully jump start seasonal shopping.

“Now, all eyes turn to December, where retailers hope to make up for lost ground and turn around their festive fortunes. This will rely not only on effective merchandising and shored up inventory availability, but on building the compelling and immersive experiences that bring the seasonal magic to life in-store.”