Footfall in Northern Ireland’s shops increased by 2.5% during September, a report said today.
Data from the NI Retail Consortium and Sensormatic said Belfast recorded a strong performance, with footfall increasing by 3.7% year on year, up from -0.2% in August.
The city’s performance was the fourth-strongest out of 11 in the UK, bettered only by Leeds, with a rise of 6.9%, Bristol with a rise of 5% and a 3.9% increase enjoyed by Cardiff.
And Northern Ireland’s improvement of 2.5% was up from a rise of 1.4% during August.
However, shopping centre footfall improved at the slower rate of 0.8% in September, though that was better than the 2.4% decline of August.
And shopping centres appeared to be being outshone by retail parks.
Neil Johnston, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said: “September saw a steady if unspectacular growth in shopper foot-traffic across the UK, including Northern Ireland, compared to the previous year.
“The positive footfall figures for Northern Ireland seem to be driven by Belfast – Northern Ireland footfall was up 2.5% overall compared to the same period last year while Belfast was up 3.7%….
“Retail parks seem to be the most vibrant locations at the moment, and this may be due to investment by retailers in these locations.”
But he said a rise in footfall wasn’t always an indication that tills were ringing.
“There is a note of caution in that improvements in footfall haven’t always correlated with an increase in the value of retail sales.
“Frustratingly for retailers more browsing by customers doesn’t necessarily mean more buying.
“As such, the hoped for positive knock-on economic impact of an expansion in footfall cannot be taken for granted.
“Enhanced levels of consumer spending will be central to continuing Northern Ireland’s economic recovery.”
And he said he hoped the Chancellor would take action to help boost consumer spending in her first Budget at the end of this month, ahead of Christmas trading.
“Hopefully, the Chancellor will use her upcoming Budget to boost confidence in the economy and help encourage shoppers to move from window shopping to the real thing in the Golden Quarter of trading.
“Locally we would urge the Finance Minister to boost the health of our retail hubs across Northern Ireland by moving to cut business rates and set a path to bringing our business rates multiplier down in line with England and Wales. Strong retail centres are crucial to our economy.”
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, which works with the retail consortium to provide the data, added: “September saw another positive uptick in footfall, building on the positive year-on-year performance in August, as ‘back to school’ boosted store visits.
“While across the UK, high street and shopping centres saw improvements compared to last year, retail parks were once again the standout shopping destination, with their tenant mix of out-of-town supermarkets and discount retail offerings helping to drive shopper traffic.
“This September’s growth is built on last year’s suppressed footfall, so while retailers will welcome this second consecutive boost to store numbers, many will still be eyeing it with caution.”