UK footfall declined in July as soaring temperatures continued to keep shoppers away from stores, the latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic reveals.

The BRC-Sensormatic footfall monitor showed that last month total footfall dipped -2.1% year-on-year, with High Streets experiencing the greatest decrease, falling by -3.8% compared to 2025.

“The heatwave continued to bear down on retail footfall in July, with High Streets worst affected,” said Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium. “Nonetheless, it was still an improvement on the previous month’s figures, when record-breaking sunshine saw footfall fall by an even bigger margin.”

Despite the negative year-on-year performance, shopper traffic in July improved on the previous month, with total footfall rising from -3.4% in June.

Andy Sumpter, Head of Consulting & Analytics EMEA for Sensormatic, said that retail footfall “remained under pressure.”

“The broader trend remains challenging, with six of the first seven months of 2026 performing worse than the same period last year,” he said. “The exceptionally hot and historically dry weather is likely to have been a significant factor, discouraging shopping trips and particularly impacting High Streets.”

“There were, however, some positives,” Sumpter continued. “Retail Parks returned to growth and Shopping Centres also saw visits increase, suggesting consumers are still willing to visit destinations, even if they are making fewer retail trips once there. For retailers, the focus remains on converting these more selective visits into meaningful spend as the summer progresses.”