Speciality Food Magazine

Even though the number of visitors to high street retailers fell by 1.5% in June, this is an encouraging result compared to the 5.8% drop experienced by out-of-town shopping centres. Matthew Sherwood, senior economist at Experian, says, “Consumer confidence is currently at an 18-year low and this is having a significant impact on spending. Consumers continue to hold back on out-of-town visits or making major purchases as they focus their spending on the upcoming summer holiday season.”

One of the beneficiaries of the current economic climate, however, is the internet. Robin Goad, research director at Hitwise, explains, “As visits to out-of-town retail destinations decline, there is evidence that many more people are staying at home to shop online. UK internet traffic to retail websites has increased by 6.5% compared with last year.”