Retail footfall experienced a summer setback last month, according to BRC-Sensormatic data, with shopper counts remaining stubbornly negative, dipping -0.4% year-on-year in July.

“July failed to bring the summer boost many retailers had hoped for,” Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said.

While cultural events, including the Lionesses’ Euro’s campaign and the Oasis come-back tour, helped deliver short-term surges in footfall, it wasn’t enough to shift overall performance against a backdrop of shaky consumer confidence.

“England’s Lionesses might have won the Women’s Euros, but footfall has not yet come home it seems,” said Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic. “Other events, such as the Oasis tour, have given local uplifts in traffic, only for it to slide away shortly after.”

High Streets saw the biggest drop in shop visits, falling by -1.7% compared to July 2024, however this was up from -3% in June. Shopping centre footfall also saw a marginal decline, dipping -0.3% year-on-year, but also improving by 1.3 percentage points on June (-1.6%).

“Consumer sentiment remains cautious,” Sumpter added. “The underlying footfall trend may be improving, but this is still negative growth on negative 2024 figures – raising the question: are shoppers returning, or simply shopping around more as they try to spend less?”

“Customers want a vibrant shopping destination, but with around one in seven shops lying empty, more needs to be done to turn town and city centres into places people want to visit,” Dickinson added.

Retail parks delivered the only bright spot for summer footfall last month as the only retail destination reporting an increase in shopper numbers last month, thanks to big brands opening new outlets. In July, footfall across UK retail parks jumped +1.7% compared to last year.