The association has said a recent report by the BRC showing a decrease in footfall has a ‘glimmer’ of hope for the high street.
The BRC-Sensormatic IQ Footfall Monitor for June showed that footfall slowed during the June heatwave. However footfall on the high street increased slightly by 0.6% year-on-year, up from 0.5% in May.
The report showed that UK footfall decreased by 1.9% In June. Retail parks saw footfall decrease by 2.6%, while shopping centre footfall decreased by 4.2%.
Jeff Moody, commercial director of BIRA, commented: “Footfall is down and we do need government support but the high street is leading on retail recovery as this report shows that business parts and shopping centres are still low when it comes to shoppers.
“The decrease in footfall reflects the ongoing impact of changing shopping patterns and the influence of external factors such as the weather. Figures for June show that the year-on-year footfall data indicated an increase during the early months of the year, with January showing a notable increase compared to the previous year, followed by February and March with smaller yet positive increases.
“The trend then shifted negatively in May, displaying a decrease compared to the previous year, which persists in June, with the Footfall index down -1.9% on June 22.
“There is some positive news for Independent retailers in that the high street footfall showed some improvement of 0.6% whilst the Retail Park Footfall dropped 2.6% in June and Shopping Centre Footfall dropped a massive 4.2% in June.
“Whilst we know the cost of living is impacting heavily on retail shopping figures , we feel action now by the government to change the cumbersome burden of business rates which are crippling struggling retailers at present, would aid investment in the sector which could lead to rejuvenated High Streets which is where most consumers wish to spend their money.”
