UK heatwave drives shoppers online, slashes high-street footfall in July

Data from Sensormatic for the British Retail Consortium indicated that July’s heatwave pushed UK shoppers away from physical stores, with high-street visits down 3.8% year over year after a 6.2% dip in June. Shopping centre traffic also fell, though retail-park footfall returned to growth, resulting in a 2.1% overall decline in visitor numbers versus last year. London’s footfall dropped the most at 5.3%, while Scotland rose 2.7%, Northern Ireland 2.5%, and Wales stayed unchanged, reflecting regional temperature differences.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson linked the trend to climate-driven discomfort and noted that retailers are adding air-conditioning and greener refrigeration, yet business-rate policies hinder such investments. In contrast, fashion and home-wares chain Next lifted its profit guidance for the third time this year, citing strong online demand and sales of its partner brands, even as in-store sales suffered. The report suggests that sectors like fashion, supermarkets and tech will benefit from summer heat, whereas furniture and garden plants are likely to lag.