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Retail footfall rose for the second month in a row, according to new figures reported by The Retail Bulletin.
Figures from the Synovate Retail Traffic Index (RTI) saw a 0.2 per cent year-on-year rise in July which followed an 8.4 per cent year-on-year rise in June.
The encouraging figures reverse May’s slump, but also follow a strong April performance.
“Coming off the back of a better than expected June, July’s marginal year-on-year rise in footfall is another small and welcome step forward for British retailing,” said Synovate retail psychologist Dr Tim Denison. “The faltering market is now pegged, at least in the short term, and this should be confirmed when the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor figures for July are announced next week.”
Denison added that retailers in Wales and the South-West enjoyed a notable rise, due in part to UK holiday makers.
However, Denison warned that there may be sterner tests ahead for retail: “We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves here, or be under any false illusion; the real action will return again in the autumn, when the spectre of public spending cuts, job insecurity and pay freezes reappears to test our resolve. In the meantime though, we can enjoy something of a respite.”
For more analysis, head to the Retail Bulletin.
