The Welsh Retail Consortium has published retail footfall figures for January
Shoppers.(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
Welsh retailers have reported another fall in shoppers, according to new research commissioned by the Welsh Retail Consortium. In January retailers, across the high street, shopping centres and retail parks, reported footfall down 2.8% year-on-year. This was compared to a 3.1% dip in December.
The biggest category year-on-year fall was shopping centres, with footfall down 6.1%. Retail park footfall dipped 2.4%.
For England in January retail footfall was down 1.4%. There were though rises in Northern Ireland, up 3.8% and Scotland 5.1%. Of the UK nations and regions, the fall was only greater in Wales in the east of England, down 3%, and the west Midlands, down 3.9%.
Of the UK’s eleven core cites, Cardiff experienced the second biggest year-on-year fall at 2.4% – although less than the 4.4% dip in December. The biggest fall, 7.1%, was experienced in Birmingham. The highest increase was in Edinburgh, up 5.5%.
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY NATION AND REGION
GROWTH RANK
NATION AND REGION
Jan-26
Dec-25
1
Scotland
5.1%
-1.5%
2
Northern Ireland
3.8%
-1.7%
3
Yorkshire and the Humber
1.2%
-4.5%
4
North West England
0.2%
-2.3%
5
London
-1.1%
-0.4%
6
North East England
-1.2%
-5.0%
7
England
-1.4%
-3.1%
8
South West England
-1.7%
-2.9%
9
East Midlands
-1.9%
-3.3%
10
South East England
-2.0%
-4.4%
10
Wales
-2.8%
-3.1%
12
East of England
-3.0%
-4.5%
13
West Midlands
-3.9%
-5.5%
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY CITY
GROWTH RANK
CITY
Jan-26
Dec-25
1
Edinburgh
5.5%
-0.5%
2
Glasgow
4.8%
-1.2%
3
Leeds
4.0%
-6.3%
4
Manchester
1.8%
-0.8%
5
Belfast
1.4%
-2.8%
6
Sheffield
0.6%
-3.1%
7
Bristol
-0.8%
-1.7%
8
Liverpool
-1.0%
-4.5%
9
London
-1.1%
-0.4%
10
Cardiff
-2.4%
-4.4%
11
Birmingham
-7.1%
-8.1%
Sara Jones, head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, said “January footfall remained below levels seen a year ago, laying bare the deep-rooted challenges facing bricks-and-mortar retail in Wales. Although there was a slight improvement on December, it was far from enough to reverse the damage. Even heavy discounting and widespread promotional activity during the month failed to draw shoppers back to our high streets, showing that retailers cannot discount their way out of these pressures.
“Shopper footfall in Wales has fallen in eight of the past twelve months and the continued downturn is squeezing town and city centres, putting jobs and investment at risk, and steadily draining life from local communities.”
“As political parties finalise their manifestos ahead of the Senedd election, this is a critical moment to decide the future of our high streets. Targeted action – including meaningful reductions in business rates for all stores and clear backing for physical retail – could still stabilise and strengthen town centres. Without that political and policy support, the outcome is clear: more shop closures, more job losses, and high streets left increasingly empty, undermining local economies and the communities that depend on them.”
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant with Sensormatic Solutions, which carried out the research, said:
“January was still a tough month for Wales, with footfall down 2.8% year on year – an improvement on December, but the weakest performance of the devolved nations. Shoppers clearly remain cautious, yet there are signs that value led New Year promotions did tempt some consumers back into stores.
“Storm Goretti added further pressure, disrupting travel and putting an additional brake on visits just as retailers were looking to reset after the golden quarter.
“Even so, the easing in the rate of decline offers a glimmer of optimism. After months of negative figures, retailers in Wales will be hoping that an improvement in January sets the stage for growth as we move into February – and that footfall can finally start to turn the tide.”
For the research footfall is defined as anyone entering a store.