Monthly Footfall Summary – January 2022

The following analysis contains data for the devices at Barnard Marcus, S.C. Fuller and Westcott & Williams.

• Total footfall in January 2022 across these three devices was little changed from the previous month, decreasing by just 0.7%. This was largely due to the continuation of ‘Plan B’ measures from December, with the government advice to work from home only being lifted on Wednesday, 19 January. The wearing of masks in enclosed spaces became no longer a requirement from Thursday, 27 January.
• The Artisan Market did not take place in January and returns on Sunday, 6 March.
• Average daily footfall is likely to increase during February as the Omicron strain of coronavirus continues to wane, whilst more workers are set to return to the office and spring is on the horizon. However, the increased cost of living due to rising energy prices along with inflation on a wider scale may soon hit the spending habits of high street shoppers.

 

Weekly Footfall Profile

 

• Figure 1 shows how weekly footfall has compared year-on-year for the month of January.
• Although the distribution of footfall across days of the week was largely similar to the equivalent month in 2021, there was a 2.3% increase on Fridays to 16.6% – a key factor being that New Year’s Day fell on a Friday last year, as well as there being a growing number of shoppers who are taking advantage of the free-parking period between 15:00 and 18:00 on this day.
• Conversely, the proportion of footfall on Saturdays was 0.6% down on last year, being adversely affected by the fact that New Year’s Day occurred on a Saturday this year.
• As is usually the case, Sunday saw the lowest percentage footfall of any day – the Artisan Market did not take place in January and therefore failed to provide its usual boost to visitor numbers.

 

Overall Footfall Volume

 

• Figure 2 shows the weekly footfall throughout January 2022 across the three active footfall devices.
• The device at Barnard Marcus (High Street) witnessed the largest footfall levels of the three active devices for all weeks during January, except for Week 1 when S.C. Fuller (South Street) registered just 74 more passers-by.
• The device located at Westcott & Williams (West Street) witnessed the lowest footfall across the three devices for all weeks in January.
• The device located at S.C. Fuller witnessed a 9.4% increase in footfall in relation to December, although the devices at Barnard Marcus and Westcott & Williams suffered falls of 6.7% and 2.5% respectively compared to the previous month as the effects of ‘Plan B’ took their toll.
• Figure 3 shows the weekly footfall summary and how total footfall has trended in January 2022.
• Week 1 witnessed the lowest total footfall across all active devices (23,985 passersby), but was then followed by the week with the highest combined footfall (25,004) as daily cases of Omicron has passed its peak.
• Total combined footfall reduced to 24,185 in Week 3, but then increased again in both subsequent weeks as further COVID-related restrictions were lifted, ending with 24,945 in Week 5.

 

Week on Week Change in Footfall

 

• Figure 4 shows the percentage change in footfall week-on-week during January 2022 for each individual device.
• The device located at S.C. Fuller saw a 34% increase in the first full week of 2022 compared with the previous week which included the New Year’s Day Bank Holiday.
• Westcott & Williams was the only location to register a drop in footfall during Week 1, but then remained the most consistent for the rest of the month.
• Figure 5 shows the week-on-week change in total footfall across all three devices in Dorking during January. Data and analysis by the Local Data Company www.localdatacompany.com
• There were week-on-week increases in four of the first five weeks in 2022, showing a general trend upwards as new coronavirus cases reduced and government guidelines were lifted as the month progressed, giving more confidence to the high street shopper.
• The uplift in footfall following the easing of restrictions was seen nationality, with a 5% rise in footfall in hospitality venues across a number of English cities over the weekend of 28/29/30 January compared to the previous weekend. (Source: Wireless Social)
• The only week-on-week drop in footfall during January came in Week 3 – a fall of 3.3% after two successive increases. The weather that week was slightly cooler and wetter than the preceding week, but still fairly warm/dry compared with historical averages.