UK retail footfall falls as heatwave depresses high street visits

Retail footfall across the United Kingdom declined 2.1% year‑on‑year in the four weeks to 1 August, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic Solutions. The drop marks an improvement on June’s 3.4% fall but represents the sixth decline recorded in the first seven months of 2026.

High streets were the hardest hit, with footfall down 3.8% (better than June’s 6.2% contraction). Shopping centres fell 1.4%, while retail parks posted a 1.2% increase. Regionally, Scotland and Northern Ireland saw modest gains of 2.7% and 2.6% respectively, England fell 3.0%, and London experienced the steepest decline at 5.3%.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said the prolonged heatwave discouraged shoppers, especially in city centres where public transport became less attractive. She noted retailers are investing in air‑conditioning, refrigeration upgrades and other climate‑resilience measures, and called for reforms to the business‑rates system to support such capital spending. Sensormatic Solutions’ Andy Sumpter added that the shift toward retail parks and the resilience of shopping centres indicate consumers are still willing to visit retail destinations, albeit fewer trips overall.