The END of the West End? Tier 3 lockdown hammers central London as stores suffer nearly 70% plunge in footfall compared to last year as millions go online with internet sales up 75%
Boris Johnson's decision to place London in Tier 3 has further decimated trade in the West End with footfall down 25% in a week and 68.5% in a year on one of the busiest shopping days of 2020, MailOnline can reveal today.
Christmas shoppers hit the high streets with experts predicting the UK's tills will ring with a staggering £2.5million-a-minute spent on gifts over the next four days - but it appears much more of this spending will have been online.
Total spending today – dubbed Frenzied Friday – is predicted to hit £1.55billion, up by 19 per cent on the equivalent day last year, despite the dreaded coronavirus crisis trashing the festive season for millions.
But while many still braved pouring rain to hit the shops in London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Reading, Windsor and Swansea, the number of people shopping compared to a week ago - and the same day in 2019 - is down massively as a total of 38 million people begin life in Tier Three from Saturday.
Coronavirus lockdown rules hammered the UK High Street in November as retail sales dropped by 3.8 per cent when compared to October. Clothing stores were the hardest hit as sales plummeted by 19 per cent while the sale of fuel also tumbled by 16.6 per cent as families stayed at home.
However, online shopping surged by 74.7 per cent year-on-year as businesses said people had brought forward their Christmas shopping.
In central London, put into Tier 3 early this week, the number of people on Oxford Street, Bond Street and other shopping streets has plummeted, exclusive figures show.
Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard said: 'In Central London footfall declined sharply from the week before by 24.3% following the imposition of Tier 3 regulations. In regional cities outside London footfall declined by 2.3% due to this reason'.
This was the scene in central London today as the capital sits in Tier 3. It was a different picture last year when the city was busy in the run up to Christmas
Crowds of shoppers were seen outside the Nike store in London's Oxford Circus today
Crowds were far larger in Liverpool city centre's busy shopping district in 2019 on the last Friday before Christmas compared to today
Shoppers in Liverpool were seen loaded down with bags of shopping this time last year while fewer people were seen walking past the city's neon Christmas tree today
Oxford Street in London was far less busy today than the same date in 2019
The rain in Liverpool further reduced the numbers of people today compared to last year when the streets were rammed with people buying last minute gifts
Second lockdown badly harmed UK sales again, official figures show
UK retail sales volumes declined in November as stores were forced to temporarily close during England's second national lockdown, new figures show.
The Office for National Statistics said retail sales volumes fell 3.8% last month compared with October.
However, the ONS said overall sales remained above pre-pandemic levels amid continued strong growth in online sales.
It was above the expectations of analysts, who had forecast a 4.1% slump in retail sales for month.
Lower clothing sales were a significant factor contributing to the slump, the ONS said, tumbling by 19% compared with the previous month.
In November, food and household goods were the only sectors to show growth in monthly volume of sales, with improvements of 3.1% and 1.6% respectively as stores remained open due to essential status.
The ONS said retailers suggested that food sales in November were boosted by restrictions to hospitality operators such as bars and restaurants.
Online sales continued to surge as consumers completed Christmas shopping digitally while stores were shut, with online sales 74.7% higher than the same month last year.
Only visits to shopping centres were up today, when compared to a week ago, but still down compared to December 18 2019.
Ms Wehrle said: 'In shopping centres footfall rose from the previous Friday by 2.5%, which is a trend we expect with shoppers gravitating to shopping centres in the run up to Christmas as there is the widest choice of products for gifting'.
She added: 'The peak Christmas shopping day in each year is December 23, however this year - due to the five day quarantine holiday that starts on 23rd - we forecast that the peak day will be December 22'.
It came as a scarcity of online delivery slots risks sending scores of Christmas dinner plans up in smoke.
Shoppers are desperately scrolling through slot times but finding they are fully booked or will not arrive until after December 25.
The festive rush has also left people who are self-isolating wondering how they are going to source food, while others choosing to avoid public places before meeting vulnerable relatives are now having to weigh up going to shops.
The last-minute dash appears to have resulted in shortages - which left one Tesco customer furious when her delivery arrived with no turkey.
Posting a photo of her order, she fumed on Twitter: 'Just received my online delivery (last slot available before Christmas) and one product was not available with "no appropriate substitution available".
'Only the turkey!!! Really?! On 17 December no alternative turkey you could send? Beyond disappointed.'
A total of £5.3billion is set to be spent in high streets and online as families rush to complete festive purchases. Up to 42million shop visits are expected as some stores open around the clock from 8am today while others extend trading hours.
The last weekend before Christmas will be the busiest so far this year on high streets with experts expecting a shoppers’ crush despite coronavirus restrictions.
Retailers have been told they must limit the number of people allowed into shops at any one time to prevent a super-spreader event. They are extending trading hours and introducing shop-by-appointment systems. The Centre for Retail Research estimates spending across stores and websites will peak tomorrow on 'Super Saturday'.
| Area | Week on week % change | Year on year % change |
|---|---|---|
| UK High Streets | -1.1% | -39.6% |
| UK Retail Parks | -2.5% | -18.4% |
| UK Shopping Centres | 2.5% | -35.4% |
| All UK Destinations | -0.5% | -33.5% |
| Central London | -24.3% | -68.5% |
| Coastal Towns | 3.1% | -36% |
| Historic Towns | 3.1% | -31.2% |
| Market Towns | 1.1% | -25.9% |
| Outer London | -11.6% | -34.4% |
| Regional Cities | -2.3% | -51.1% |
| Regional Cities excluding London | 4.5% | -41.8% |
Windsor: Shoppers in Windsor, Berkshire, ahead of the county moving into Tier 3 of coronavirus restrictions from Saturday.
Portsmouth: People make their way along Commercial Road in Portsmouth. Portsmouth, as well as neighbouring Havant and Gosport, will go into tier 3 of coronavirus restrictions
Up to 42million shop visits are expected as some stores open around the clock from 8am today while others extend trading hours on Frenzied Friday
Swansea: A masked woman with her hood up braves the driving rain in South Wales this afternoon
Two men in Reading and Swansea got in the Christmas spirit by donning festive jumpers for shopping before lockdowns
Liverpool: Shoppers headed out in the rain to buy last minute gifts but more than usual appeared to stay at home
London: Shoppers rush along Oxford Street in the rain today as it was revealed Tier 3 rules slashed footfall by a quarter in a week and two thirds when compared to the same Friday a year ago
Reading: Shoppers in Berkshire queue for entry to John Lewis ahead of the county moving into Tier 3 of coronavirus restrictions
Commuter continue to flood on to the Jubilee Line at Canada Water in south-east London this morning on the last day of work for many people
Shoppers on oxford Street London is in Tier Three in Covid 19 restrictions meaning pubs and restaurants must close or only serve takeaways
Queues were around the block outside the central London Ted Baker and Karen Millen stores this morning as consumers prepared to spend £2.5m per minute
Shoppers got into the festive spirit in London, Liverpool, Newcastle and other UK towns and cities with every Briton expected to spend £480 on presents this year
Masked shoppers braved the rain and Covid-19 warnings on the first of four big Christmas shopping days in the UK
Its Christmas spending study, commissioned by VoucherCodes.co.uk, said: ‘Super Saturday is set to be the peak trading day in December for stores in the lead-up to Christmas with 11.5million shoppers.
‘It is predicted footfall will be up 12 per cent in comparison to 2019. Despite this, forecasts predict that £1.65billion will be spent – £1.4billion offline and £250million online – which is 3 per cent less than in 2019.’ Spending is predicted to hit £800million on Sunday before rising to £1.3billion on Monday, giving a total four-day figure of £5.3billion. Retailers, both on the high street and online, have been running sales for weeks – with savings of more than 50 per cent – in a bid to grab a share of crucial festive spending.
Diane Wehrle, of market research firm Springboard, said: ‘The extension of opening hours is certainly a good idea as it enables shoppers to visit stores when it is quieter.
‘However, footfall between 9am and 6pm accounts for 88 per cent of the total.’
Eleven Primark stores will open through the night, while JD Sports and Footasylum are doing the same with some shops.
John Lewis, Next, Debenhams and House of Fraser will be trading for record numbers of hours, with many shops remaining open until 9pm. Boots and toy chain The Entertainer will have some outlets open until 10pm. Top shopping centres, such as the two Westfield complexes in London, Manchester’s Trafford Centre and Meadowhall in Sheffield, will have late opening.
From Monday, Marks & Spencer will open 400 stores until midnight up to December 23.
Police were today called to break up crowds outside a trainer store in Liverpool as hundreds queued to buy newly released shoes ahead of an anticipated £5.2billion four-day spending frenzy starting tomorrow.
Around 400 eager shoppers gathered outside Size? on Bold Street in anticipation of the release of the Nike Air Max 95 OG Neon trainers, with some even camping through the night to secure the £130 shoes.
The size of the crowd led to Merseyside Police being called to disperse gathering Britons ahead of the retailer's scheduled opening on Thursday, and the shop was later closed to customers.
A force spokesperson told the Mirror: 'We can confirm officers attended a shop in Liverpool city centre this morning (Thursday 17 December) to a report of a large gathering outside.
'We were called just after 7.05am to a report a crowd had gathered outside Size on Bold Street ahead of its scheduled opening. After opening, staff at the store secured the doors to prevent further customers entering.
'Officers attended and gave advice to staff, and asked those gathered outside to leave.'The shop subsequently closed and those gathered outside moved on.'
Swathes of shoppers also lined up around the block in London's West End today, with pictures taken on Bond Street showing crowds rushing to make their Christmas purchases - including dozens waiting patiently outside luxury designer Hermes.
The retail bonanza all got a bit too much for some, who let off steam with a takeaway pint - newly returned to the capital since sitting inside pubs was banned under Tier 3 rules.
Non-essential shops remain open even under the tougher rules, meaning the high street should be able to capitalise on some of the spending splurge even if much will go online.
However, the West End crowds were far sparser than normal for the festive season, as many people stayed away due to the pandemic.
Shoppers in the pouring rain on Bond Street this morning on the most important shopping day of the year
Retailers are offering big reductions to entice in shoppers as sales have been hit by repeated lockdowns
'Frenzied Friday' will be followed by 'Super Saturday' as people rush to get their Christmas shopping done in time
The weather looks poor for the next few days meaning many may choose to complete their purchases online instead
Crowds of shoppers were dispersed yesterday after hundreds of people queued up outside Size? on Bold Street, Liverpool
Pictures taken on Bond Street today showed thousands of shoppers rushing to make their final Christmas purchases - including dozens waiting patiently outside luxury designer Hermes
The latest footfall figures from Springboard found shopping centres had seen a 2.8 per cent increase in visitors on last week - but a 33 per cent drop on the same time last year.
Retail parks had also seen a relative boost, surging by 1.3 per cent on last week despite declining by 11.8 per cent on 2019.
But the beleaguered British High Street continues to struggle despite the Christmas rush, with footfall falling by 1.6 per cent on last week and 40 per cent on last year.
All areas in the country have seen visitors fall on last week and last year, with London's dropping by 4.4 per cent and 64.8 per cent respectively.
People in market towns have plummeted by 10 per cent on last week and 31.8 per cent on 2019.
Meanwhile coastal towns have also seen tourists decline by 3.5 per cent on last week and 24.8 per cent based on last year's figures.
But in a boost for businesses, research by VoucherCodes.co.uk and the Centre for Retail Research found £2.5million will be spent in store every minute.
On what has been dubbed 'frenzied Friday' Britons are estimated to spend £1.55billion - £1.1billion in store and £450million online - a 19 per cent surge on 2019.
Trading is expected to peak for December on 'super Saturday' as 11.5million descend on the beleaguered High Street.
Non-essential shops remain open even under the tougher rules, meaning the high street should be able to capitalise on some of the spending splurge even if much will go online
Shoppers queuing around the block to get into the Hermes store on Bond Street. In the background is the Coach and Horses, a Greene King pub
Footfall is predicted to leap by 12 per cent compared to last year but the total spent is expected to be 3 per cent less than in 2019.
London is expected to lead the charge for money spent, racking up a total of £504million on Friday and Saturday, closely followed by the South East spending £485million.
Sunday is also expected to see a huge amount of money exchange hands - £850million by 8.5million shoppers - but it is down eight per cent on last year.
On Monday, with just four days until December 25, the High Street is expected to welcome 11million customers spending a total of £1.3billion, which represents a 0.8 per cent rise on 2019.
Retail stores and supermarkets are expected to be especially busy this year due to most online retailers no longer being able to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas.
Lifestyle Editor at VoucherCodes.co.uk Anita Naik said: 'The last full week before Christmas is always a busy period for retailers both offline and online.
'After a difficult year for the high street, it's encouraging to see spend is predicted to hit £2.5m in-store every minute.'
It's carnage out there! York students celebrate city staying in Tier 2 - amid warning 30,000 hospitality firms face ruin by end of year after Frankie & Benny's and Wagamama group lost £15m in last lockdown
Revellers in York hit the streets of the Tier 2 city centre last night amid warnings that more than 30,000 hospitality businesses are at high risk of permanently closing before the end of the year.
Small groups of young people wearing face masks flocked to pubs and bars in the two northern town for a Christmas booze-up as police enforced tough curbs, while drinking holes in Tier 2 Liverpool stood empty.
York and Liverpool have steered clear of Tier 3 restrictions being slapped on large swathes of England's Home Counties, while Matt Hancock refused to move Manchester and the North East down a grade into Tier 2 despite recording fewer Covid-19 cases.
Though pub landlords have described trading in Tier 2 as 'unviable', those who are being moved up into Tier 3 this week are incensed that they have to close again and lose their source of income.
Fears that coronavirus curbs will remain longer than promised were fuelled by Rishi Sunak after he dramatically extended the furlough scheme for another month, at an estimated cost of another £5billion.
With ministers threatening to impose a Tier 4 crackdown after Christmas which would ban commuting, close non-essential shops and close schools an extra week, hospitality chiefs are warning that the hospitality sector is teetering on the brink of ruin.
UKHospitality today warned that one in three hospitality firms in the UK are at risk of closing its doors for good before the end of the year – which they estimated to be 30,000 predominantly-small businesses.
It comes as Wagamama and Frankie & Benny's owner The Restaurant Group revealed the second national lockdown cost the company £15million as it was forced to shut the doors of its sites.
And the restaurant owner behind Franco Manca and The Real Greek revealed they had slipped into the red during the pandemic, with sales falling nearly 50 per cent to £19.9million with a pre-tax loss of £4.3million in the six months to September 27.
Police detain a reveller in York as the city remains in Tier 2 amid a coronavirus clampdown
Police on horseback patrol the streets of Liverpool, which are deserted despite being in Tier 2 amid a coronavirus clampdown
A female revellers in York sits on the ground after going out drinking ahead of the five-day Christmas amnesty
A small group of students in York head into town to enjoy drinks ahead of the five-day Christmas amnesty
Revellers in York pose for photos as they enjoy a drink in the Tier 2 city amid a coronavirus clampdown
Bars in Liverpool stood empty despite the city being in Tier 2 amid a coronavirus clampdown
Swathes of the Home Counties will join London in the highest tier tomorrow while Manchester and the North East were told they could not move down a grade despite recording fewer cases. Pictured: A map of England's tiers
Nearly 38million people are set to be under the highest tier of restrictions in England by the weekend
Chief executive Kate Nicholls said it is 'helpful' to know that furlough will not change in January, when it was previously subject to review.
But she warned that the extensions showed that the virus and the restrictions 'are likely to be around for a lot longer' at a significant cost to the hospitality sector.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: 'We are beyond the point of saving jobs, we are now needing to look at how we can save businesses, and there's a real fear that businesses in hospitality won't survive over the Christmas period with the restrictions we've got in place.'
Ms Nicholls revealed 25,000 sites have already been 'lost' during the pandemic, and warned that 'we are at high risk of losing one in three of our hospitality businesses unless we can get extra support before the end of the year' – which she estimated to be 30,000 'predominantly small businesses'.
The hospitality leader said that 80 per cent of businesses are closed in the UK and unable to trade, while those open are earning just '10 to 20 per cent of their normal revenue levels' and face 'insolvency, administration and failure over the next two to three months'.
'We now have a perfect storm where business rates relief ends on March 31, the rent protections that have saved many businesses from having to pay rent liabilities over this period ends art the same time, as does the reduced rate of VAT,' she said.
'So we go into our Easter trading period on April 1 with significant increase in business rates, in the VAT that we have to charge.
'Furlough is now extended, but this is why we are now facing the prospect of business failure, and currently we have eight out of 10 of our hospitality businesses closed in the UK and unable to trade.
'Those who are open are earning just 10 to 20 per cent of their normal revenue levels, that's why so many businesses are facing insolvency, administration and failure over the next two to three months, and it's why many of them won't get to survive long enough to enjoy that extended furlough period.
'There's no point at all in protecting jobs at all if we lost the businesses underneath them which are so viable to the economy'.