UK retail footfall fell by 2.1% year-on-year during July as exceptionally hot weather discouraged shoppers from visiting high streets and larger urban centres.
The latest British Retail Consortium-Sensormatic data, covering the four weeks from 5 July to 1 August 2026, shows an improvement on June’s 3.4% decline but continues a difficult year for physical retail.
High streets were the weakest-performing destination type, with visitor numbers falling by 3.8% compared with July 2025. Shopping centre footfall declined by 1.4%.
Retail parks were the only location type to record annual growth, with footfall rising by 1.2% following a 0.3% decline in June.
ENGLAND RECORDS WEAKEST PERFORMANCE
Footfall fell by 3% in England, with London particularly affected by a 5.3% annual decline as high temperatures made rail and Underground travel less appealing.
Conditions were stronger elsewhere in the UK. Footfall increased by 2.7% in Scotland and 2.6% in Northern Ireland, while remaining unchanged in Wales.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, says: “The heatwave continued to bear down on retail footfall in July, with high streets worst affected.
“London was hit particularly hard as soaring temperatures made tube and train travel less attractive, with some commuters and shoppers opting to stay home.
“Nonetheless, it was still an improvement on the previous month’s figures, when record-breaking sunshine saw footfall fall by an even bigger margin.”
BUSINESS RATES WARNING
Dickinson says retailers are investing in measures such as air conditioning and more efficient refrigeration alongside initiatives intended to reduce carbon emissions.
However, she warns that the business rates system can penalise stores for making those improvements and calls on the Government to reconsider how such investment is treated.
Andy Sumpter, Head of Consulting and Analytics for EMEA at Sensormatic, says: “While this represents an improvement on June’s 3.4% decline, the broader trend remains challenging, with six of the first seven months of 2026 performing worse than the same period last year.
“The exceptionally hot and historically dry weather is likely to have been a significant factor, discouraging shopping trips and particularly impacting high streets.”
He adds that the arrival of another Prime Minister has yet to produce a meaningful “Burnham bounce” for retail, leaving businesses focused on converting fewer and more selective visits into spending.
