Northern Ireland recorded the second best shopper footfall performance of the 13 nations/regions of the UK surveyed, and better than the UK as a whole, latest industry figures show.
Data from the NI Retail Consortium and Sensormatic covering the four weeks from September 29 to October 26 show that overall footfall in the north increased by 1.3% year-on-year, though this was down from the 2.5% increase in September.
It was a bigger increase than in England, Scotland and Wales and way better than the UK average footfall decrease of 1.1%.
But shopping centre footfall across the north decreased by 4.4% and in Belfast by 0.6%.
NI Retail Consortium director Neil Johnston said: “While last month’s figures are encouraging, it was still the weakest growth in foot-traffic for three months, which is concerning at what is traditionally the start of the so-called ‘golden quarter’ of trading.
“This reflects consumers’ reaction to mixed economic news and a fiscal narrative from government that has rarely been positive in recent months.
“Footfall in Belfast was down last month after a good September, while footfall in our shopping centres declined for a seventh consecutive month.”
He added: “We clearly need an injection of confidence into the economy and consumers, and retailers are looking to Westminster and Stormont to provide this by not increasing costs on retailers and shoppers in the coming months.
“Shopkeepers continue to strive to create vibrant high streets and retail hubs in communities across Northern Ireland, as they continue to invest and provide jobs throughout every town and village.
“Government in London has taken a number of measures in the Budget that will largely have a negative effect, so we hope Stormont will do its bit to provide a positive environment.”
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant at Sensormatic Solutions, added: “After the positive footfall performance we saw in September, things dipped in October.
“And whilst shopper traffic still remained positive compared to 2023 last month, the caveat is that we still expect to see a bumpy recovery as a myriad of market conditions - from the cost of living to shaky consumer confidence around the Budget – continue to make footfall performance volatile.
“Retailers now need to look ahead and focus their efforts on the rest of the ‘golden quarter’, delivering compelling reasons to visit in order to drive ambient footfall and sales during the key Christmas trading period.”
