April footfall up slightly

Footfall rose slightly in April

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Footfall in April has risen for the first time in nine months while traffic to fashion websites has risen by 7% since January.

According to the latest Experian Retail FootFall Index, footfall in April rose 0.1% against the same month last year. And between March and April, shopper numbers increased 0.9%, driven by strong performances in London and the South East.

Experian director of retail consultancy Jonathan de Mello said: "These are good results but we should remain cautious and not get too far ahead of ourselves. Given the tightening of consumers' belts, we expect May to be a tougher month all round."

However, he added: "It is hoped that after April's snow fall, some welcome May sunshine will inspire shoppers to purchase new summer clothing ranges. With April showing some signs of shopper confidence stabilising, the retail winners will be those who do most to convince the shopper to purchase."

Clothing and accessories websites have seen a sharp uplift in traffic, growing 7% since the second week of January. Asos, the second most visited website in this category, saw a 26% year-on-year increase in visits over the period.

Click the attachment to view a breakdown of high street footfall by region.