Consumer

UK Retailers Facing December Disappointment as Rain Subdues Store Visits

  • Fewer consumers head to the shops during cost-of-living crisis
  • JD Sports slashes profit forecast citing rain, weak sentiment
Shoppers shelter from rain as they walk along Oxford Street in London on Dec. 19. Photographer: Leon Neal/Getty Images
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One of the wettest Decembers on record could have hit UK retailers as fewer shoppers visited stores in the run-up to Christmas.

The number of people going to shops, retail parks and malls fell 5% in the last five weeks of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022, according to the latest footfall data from the British Retail Consortium and Sensormatic IQ.