The Welsh Retail Consortium has released retail footfall numbers for May

Retailers in Wales has reported the highest fall in shoppers of any UK nation.

According to new research from the Welsh Retail Consortium retailers on the high street, shopping centres and retail parks , experienced a 5% year-on-year fall in May in footfall. Scotland saw footfall up 0.4% year-on-year with Northern Ireland, down 1% and England declining 3%. Of all the nations and regions of the UK, only in the south-west of England was the fall greater than Wales at 5.3%.

Year-on-year Welsh shopping centre footfall was down 6.3% with retail park footfall down 2.7%. Of the core cities of the UK, Cardiff has the second biggest decline of 6.9% in May, behind Liverpool, down 9.4%. Only two cities saw footfall up on May last year, with Belfast marginally improving by 0.1% and Edinburgh 2.5%.

Head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, Sara Jones, said: “tending a worrying run of decline in 2026. More concerning still, Wales has lagged behind the other UK nations on footfall recovery in five of the last six months. That underlines just how fragile consumer confidence remains, with households still under pressure and spending subdued. Hot weather is also likely to have diverted shoppers away from more planned retail trips, but the bigger picture is clear: Welsh shops are facing a tough trading environment, with no meaningful recovery yet in sight.

“Against that backdrop, retailers will welcome the commitment made by the First Minister in the Senedd to explore business rates reform through the town centres taskforce. But with footfall falling and Wales lagging behind every other nation, the priority now has to be delivery. In its first 100 days, the Welsh Government must move quickly to back high streets through meaningful rates reform, a planning system that supports investment, and a joined-up strategy that gives retailers the confidence to invest in stores, jobs and town centres across Wales.”

The research was carried out for the Welsh Retail Consortium by Sensormatic Solutions. Retail consultant with the firm, Andy Sumpter, said: “May proved a challenging month for Welsh retail, with footfall falling 5% year on year, the weakest performance in the UK. While brighter weather earlier in the month may have offered some support, the late May heatwave appears to have dampened activity, limiting recovery as the month progressed.

“Consumer confidence may be edging up slightly, but it remains fragile, with geopolitical uncertainty continuing to weigh on discretionary spend. Shopping behaviour also continues to evolve. While visits to retailers within Shopping Centres remained firmly negative, overall visits to shopping centres performed more strongly – highlighting that consumers are still visiting destinations but engaging more selectively once there.

“While May reinforces the pressures facing Welsh retail, it also points to changing behaviour rather than a complete withdrawal from physical spaces. For retailers, the challenge and the opportunity lie in converting these more cautious, considered visits into meaningful spend, by delivering the right mix of value, relevance and experience as we move towards the summer months.”