High street visits fell by a steeper 1.9% year-on-year in January, down from the 0.9% drop seen in December, while shopping centre footfall fell by 0.8% in January but improved from the 5.1% plunge over Christmas. Retail parks recorded positive growth in the north (Alamy/PA)Scotland recorded the strongest year-on-year growth in footfall, up 5.1%, with Northern Ireland also seeing significant growth of 3.8%. By contrast, footfall fell across the rest of the UK – by 1.4% in England and 2.8% in Wales. BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Although footfall edged down in January compared to a year earlier, it was much better than the disappointing Christmas period. “An uptick in consumer confidence and possible signs of a footfall recovery offer some cautious optimism for some spring-like green shoots.”Andy Sumpter from Sensormatic said: “January offered a welcome reset for UK retail, with footfall recording its best performance in five months.

Source: The Herald February 13, 2026 06:15 UTC