Footfall Insights August 2025

Send us Fan MailDiane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat about footfall trends. July retail data shows positive signs with spending down only 1.4% compared to 8.5% in June, though footfall decreased by 1.7% as consumers remain cautious with their spending. The warm weather has encouraged more UK residents to holiday at home, redirecting spending into local economies rather than abroad.• Five key retail sectors (fashion, food and drink, general retail, grocery, health and beauty) all showed improvement in July• Fashion rebounded from being 10.8% down in June to just 3.2% down in July• Employment is up 0.7% year-on-year to 4.7%, with youth unemployment rising 14.1%• Interest rate reductions benefit mortgage holders but impact savers• The approaching "Golden Quarter" (Halloween through Christmas) will be challenging but crucial• Early and extended discounting is likely as retailers may over-order based on July's improved performance• Weather continues to be a significant factor in retail performanceLooking ahead to August, if the good weather continues and staycations remain popular, we might see further improvements in retail spending figures  #theproductivityexpertsRegister for the 2026 Productivity ForumDownload a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail ReportConnect to Simon on LinkedInFollow ReThink on LinkedIn