London shopper footfall slumps before Christmas amid Omicron spread
The IndependentGet the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. However, it showed the typical pre-Christmas rush to buy presents is significantly depressed against pre-pandemic levels as many people choose to remain at home amid soaring coronavirus numbers. Jace Tyrrell, chief executive of New West End Company, said on Wednesday: “Once again we are seeing fewer customers on the high street than there were two years ago. “Retail and leisure businesses will have spent significant amounts of time and money preparing for a busy Christmas period, only for people to understandably stay at home in the face of rising Covid rates. “Otherwise we run the risk of more much-loved brands being forced to close in the coming months.” Chancellor Rishi Sunak launched £1 billion of financial support packages aimed at the hospitality and leisure sector on Tuesday, but provided limited funding for other impacted areas such as retail.
History of this topic
Stores close as high street fashion chain falls into administration
The Independent
Britons shun high streets with number of shoppers in city centres down compared to last year's pre-Christmas rush as cost of living continues to bite
Daily Mail
Last-minute Christmas shopping takes a dive as buyers feel the squeeze
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Footfall is down in high streets across Britain after shops torched in riots: Retail chiefs hold emergency meeting as stores shutter and change opening hours amid fears of more violence
Daily Mail
Retail footfall dips in March as shoppers only make essential trips
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Footfall stumbles amid rising prices and tightening purse strings
The Independent
Shopper footfall recovery slows as cost of living concerns gather pace
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Shopper footfall stalls amid record temperatures and cost-of-living pressure
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Shopper footfall and retail sales improve despite looming cost-of-living crisis
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London’s West End sees in-person Boxing Day shopping fall 44% from 2019
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Plan B keeps shoppers away from the high street as Dyson tells staff to keep going to work
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Black Friday fails to boost footfall
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Retail footfall one-third lower than pre-Covid level despite shop re-openings
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Christmas market closed as shopping crowds spark concern in Nottingham and London
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Shoppers continue to shun high street as visitor numbers drop 10% in seven years
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High street crisis: One in 10 shops empty as vacancy rate hits highest level in four years
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Retailers report increase in high street footfall in March but shoppers weren't spending
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UK shops had 'worst Christmas in a decade' as sales flatlined, says British Retail Consortium
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Boxing Day sales: Number of in-store shoppers falls for third consecutive year as concern for UK high street grows
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Retail footfall slumped in January as inflation-pinched consumers remain cash conscious
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Retail footfall slumped across UK at end of 2017, new data reveals
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UK high street expecting more shoppers over Easter but spending will stay muted, reveals study
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Thousands of retailers face Christmas collapse amid lethal cocktail of problems, experts warn
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Predictions of high street’s demise prove exaggerated
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Shops hail last-minute Christmas shopping 'spree'
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Rush on New Year's Eve boosts West End
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