England's malls attract Christmas shoppers after lockdown ends

Footfall across all retail destinations in England rose by 81% compared to the previous week after a second lockdown ended on Wednesday, allowing non-essential shops to begin trading again, Springboard said on Monday.

Shopping centres saw the biggest boost, with a 121.3% rise from Wednesday, while high streets saw a 79.8% rise and numbers in retail parks were up 40.7%, Springboard said.

Diane Wehrle Insights Director at Springboard said the rise in shopping centres was not unexpected, as shoppers tended to gravitate towards shopping centres in the run up to Christmas.