MRI has released an initial analysis of retail football in the UK on Friday 28th November.
Early footfall trends reveal a 13.2 per cent uplift across all UK retail destinations up to 1pm compared to Friday last week, led by a 15.4 per cent rise in shopping centres, followed by high streets (14.8%) and retail parks (7.5%).
However, compared to Black Friday last year, footfall remains -1.5% lower overall with high streets (-3%) and shopping centres (-3.5%) leading this decline whereas retail parks noticed a 3.7% increase in visits.
These early trends are encouraging and reinforce Black Friday as the catalyst for the festive shopping period as consumers are likely to make the most of the day combining seeking out the best deals with food and drink.
As festive events and attractions get underway, MRI Software’s recent Consumer Pulse survey, in partnership with Retail Economics, revealed that high streets may emerge as the clear winners with 24% of consumers surveyed stating they will visit the high street while 13% will opt for retail parks and 12% will choose major flagship shopping centres.
