Welsh footfall growth the strongest in the UK despite cooling on January

Retail footfall in Wales increased in February but at a slower rate than January, shows latest research from the Welsh Retail Consortium.

Footfall, defined as shoppers entering a store, in February was up 2.% year-on-year (YoY) compared to a 8.5% rise in January. The rise in February was the highest of any nation or region of the UK, followed by the north west of England at 1.9% and London and the west Midlands at 1.8%.

For England it rose by just 0.2%, while in Northern Ireland it was down 0.1% and Scotland 0.3%. The biggest fall was in Yorkshire and the Humber, down 3.5%.

Shopping centre footfall in Wales YoY decreased by 1.5% in February, down from 8.6% in January. Retail park footfall increased by 2.9% in February YoY, down from 9.8% in January.

Footfall in Cardiff decreased by 1.8% (YoY), down from 9.1% in January. Of the core cities of the UK the fall in February in Cardiff was only greater in Liverpool, down 2.5%, Bristol, 5.2%, and Leeds 5.6%. The biggest rise was in Birmingham at 5%.

FOOTFALL BY NATION AND REGION

GROWTH RANK

NATION AND REGION

Feb-25

Jan-25

1

Wales

2.7%

8.5%

2

North West England

1.9%

7.7%

3

London

1.8%

6.7%

3

West Midlands

1.8%

10.0%

5

South East England

0.4%

9.4%

6

England

0.2%

7.4%

7

Northern Ireland

-0.1%

3.5%

8

Scotland

-0.3%

1.0%

9

East of England

-0.8%

8.5%

10

North East England

-1.0%

6.8%

11

East Midlands

-1.3%

6.4%

12

South West England

-1.4%

7.9%

13

Yorkshire and the Humber

-3.5%

3.3%

TOTAL FOOTFALL BY CITY

GROWTH RANK

CITY

Feb-25

Jan-25

1

Birmingham

5.0%

14.3%

2

Manchester

3.9%

10.3%

3

Edinburgh

1.9%

2.8%

4

London

1.8%

6.7%

4

Belfast

0.1%

4.8%

6

Nottingham

-0.3%

6.7%

7

Glasgow

-1.1%

1.9%

8

Cardiff

-1.8%

9.1%

9

Liverpool

-2.5%

3.2%

10

Bristol

-5.2%

6.2%

11

Leeds

-5.6%

1.0%

Sara Jones, head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, said:“Shopper footfall across all Welsh retail destinations faltered in February, dipping over 5% compared to the previous month. That said, February still saw healthy year on year growth, the best of the four home nations.

“Shopper numbers picked up substantially in the last week of February, no doubt helped by the late half term and start of spring weather, coinciding with the benefits of a St. David’s day uptick.

“Confident consumers and buoyant household disposable incomes are critical to the health of the retail industry and all who rely on it, including our colleagues and our wider communities. As we approach the two-year anniversary of the Welsh Government’s retail action plan it will be time to take stock on what more can be achieved to cement the future of the retail industry in Wales. With an onslaught of additional government-mandated costs in the pipeline from April, bold decisions will be needed to help safeguard the sector and to help it flourish rather than falter in the years to come.”

On the UK picture Andy Sumpter, retail consultant for Sensormatic Solutions, which carried out the research, said: “After January’s jump-start, retail footfall in February stalled, with retailers seeing a more modest improvement compared to 2024 last month.

"While the good news is that shopper counts remained steady, many would have been hoping for a more substantial leap building off a strong start to the year. Retail Parks, consistently one of the top performers in 2024, once again outstripped other retail destinations in February, as the convenience and choice built into their retail offerings again proved popular with customers.

" With Easter falling late and well into April this year, this will, undoubtedly, put added pressure on retailers as we head into March. To plug the gap, retailers have an opportunity to create compelling reasons to visit and enhance their offerings with greater convenience and choice, which have been the standout strengths of retail park performance.”