The following analysis contains data for the devices at S.C. Fuller (reopened 15th June) and Renee’s Health Food Store (remained open throughout lockdown).
- Footfall continued to increase throughout May.
- From the 10th May (week 19 onwards), people were allowed to take ‘unlimited amounts’ of outdoor exercise, and those who could not work from home were asked to return to work while avoiding public transport, which has led to the continued slow increase in footfall.
- This first major easing of lockdown restrictions appears to have had a significant effect on footfall with footfall picking up considerably in week 20 and then even more in week 21.
Key Retail Metrics – Survival rates
- A key metric to look at to understand the health of a retail location is the survival rates of the location, that is the proportion of businesses that remain open for longer than 1, 3 and 5 years.
- More than 96% of businesses in Dorking have been open for over 1 year, which is higher than the proportion seen in the South East and GB averages of around 94%.
- When it comes to businesses surviving longer than 3 years and 5 years, Dorking has a much higher proportion of businesses falling into these categories than seen in the regional and national averages.
- Most notably, over 82% of businesses in Dorking survive for longer 5 years, which is higher than the regional and national 3 year survival rate, showing that businesses in Dorking are able to last longer than in many other town centres around the country. •
- Note that these figures are pre-lockdown, however they show that businesses in Dorking may have a higher likelihood of survival than those in other town centres.
Overall footfall volume
- Figure 2 above shows the weekly footfall throughout the month of May for active footfall devices.
- The overall volume of footfall increased throughout May, particularly in week 20 and week 21 at Renee’s Health Food Store.
- At S.C. Fuller, footfall steadily increased throughout May but dropped slightly in week 22.
Week-on-week change in footfall
- The week-on-week chart above shows the impact that the initial easing of lockdown restrictions had on footfall.
- With people now being told that they can take unlimited amounts of exercise and the message changing from “Stay at Home” to “Stay Alert” at the end of week 19, footfall increased by 16.2% in week 20, and a further week-on-week increase of 22.1% across both of the devices.
- Increases in footfall slowed in week 22 with only a 2.2% increase in footfall compared to the previous week across the 2 devices.
