Total UK retail footfall decreased by -5.4% in March compared to 2024, down from -0.2% year-on-year in February, the latest data from the BRC-Sensormatic Monitor, revealled.

With a late Easter, which will land three weeks later than in 2024, shopping centres saw the biggest footfall decline compared to last year, with visitors dipping -5.8% in March, while High Street saw a -4% drop.

“With Easter falling in April this year, footfall in March could not compare to last year when families were already enjoying their Easter holidays,” Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said.

Shaky business and consumer confidence could also have played a role in faltering footfall, with Sensormatic’s EMEA Retail Consultant, Andy Sumpter, suggesting that disappointing shopper traffic in March was “not helped by ongoing economic uncertainty and pre-Spring Statement jitters.”

However, March was not without a few brighter moments on the footfall front, with Mother’s Day in particular delivering a standout performance, driving a +13.4% uplift in High Street footfall compared to 2024. But “while there were some brighter moments, sadly, there were not enough of them to have had a material impact on the overall figures,” Sumpter added.

Looking ahead, “global uncertainties resulting from tariffs and a potential economic slowdown could reduce the appetite for shopping trips in the coming months,” according to the BRC’s Dickinson. She urged the Government to “find ways to boost consumer confidence and ensure retailers can invest in jobs and stores.”