Poor weather saw footfall on Britain’s high streets fall in July for the first time since 2009.
Paired with high interest rates and a rail overtime ban, poor weather created the perfect storm for UK shops, which penned a 0.3% decline in footfall over the month, retail analyst Springboard found.
High streets, in particular, were affected by the month’s rainy conditions, with shoppers instead heading for retail parks and shopping centres, due to easier access by car.
According to the Met Office, last month was one of the wettest Julys ever recorded, based on provisional data - a blow for high streets which face a stark outlook for the rest of the summer anyway, Springboard added.
“It is inevitable that consumers' attention will now turn towards planning for Christmas spending,” group retail expert Diane Wehrle explained.
“[This] may well dampen footfall further in the latter part of the summer,” she added.