Optimism and caution over rise in city shoppers

An increase in shoppers in a city centre at the start of this year has been welcomed by business leaders.

Visitors to the centre of Coventry increased by 11.7% across January and March, compared to the same months in 2024, a report revealed.

The information showed 5.4 million people made their way into the city but, despite the recent increase, footfall remained lower than from before the Covid pandemic.

Joanne Glover, from the Coventry Business Improvement District remained optimistic and said it was "fabulous" to see figures "trending in the right direction".

"In city centre's all over the country there has been a major drop in footfall since the pandemic and we know there is a lot of hard work ahead to encourage more people back into the city centre," he added.

"The best way we can do that is by providing brilliant experiences but also by making sure people feel safe, whether that is on a shopping trip or enjoying a night out."

Councillor Jim O'Boyle said it was good to see the number of people visiting the city increase.

However he added that comparing this year's footfall to pre-pandemic data was "like comparing apples to oranges".

"The way people use and enjoy city centres has changed," O'Boyle added.

"Online retail sales now account for 30% of market share compared to 21.6% in 2019."

But Beci Slater, the manager of New Look in the city's Lower Precinct, said the shop had seen a "positive uplift" in sales across the year's first quarter.

"We have particularly seen footfall increase at weekends, which in turn has seen growth in sales," she added.

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