Where are we going and what are we spending?

Town Centre Management undertakes a footfall count in Bangor and Holywood each year in order to gauge an understanding of consumers, markets and economies in the North Down area.  We compare our results year on year and use this information to support retail property analysis, economic forecasting and public policy research.  Policy makers, local businesses and potential investors can use this information in making tactical and strategic decisions.

We undertook our footfall count from Saturday 24 June to Saturday 1 July and despite the World Cup and changeable weather there was a slight increase in footfall numbers from 2005.  Nevertheless, many retailers reported a down turn in the volume of sales from previous years.

 

Weekly Footfall Count – Holywood and Bangor

 

We also undertook an informal retailer survey at the end of August to gauge the general impression of business activity during the summer.  Most retailers in Holywood saw an upturn in business, which was put this down to a number of factors including:  better summer weather; clean streets and political stability.  But they also felt that trade could be improved by reducing car parking fees and by providing more car parking spaces.  Again, it was remarked that the poor flow of traffic was a big hindrance, with delivery vans and cars double parking on High Street.  In Bangor, retailers also experienced a general increase in business activity during the summer months.  While some businesses welcomed band parades others felt that they did not encourage increased trade.  Poor traffic management was also seen as a hindrance to trade and while there were many activities to attract visitors to the seafront, retailers would like to see more town centre promotional events.  Most traders felt that trade would be encouraged if the Queen’s Parade site were developed.  In general, most retailers were optimistic about business in the short and long term. 

In the rest of the UK a survey by FootFall, an Experian® company showed that during the England v Ecuador World Cup (Saturday 25 June) the High Street saw a massive fall in shopper numbers of nearly 20% compared to 2005, hitting the retail sector much harder than expected. 

The Retail FootFall Index is endorsed by the BCSC, the membership organisation that represents the retail property industry, and, as such, is regarded as representative of UK shopping habits.  FootFall, an Experian company, is a world leader in the provision of retail business information to the retail and retail property markets.  The RFI now measures over 150 million shopper visits per month in over 200 retail centres throughout the UK, covering more than 12,000 retail outlets.  Over 80% of the UK's population is contained within the catchment area of the basket of centres from which the RFI is produced.