The level of footfall recorded at the north’s main shopping hubs was down during July, new analysis suggests.
The latest data from the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) and Sensormatic IQ showed Northern Ireland footfall in July was 2.2% down on the same month last year.
Despite the falling numbers, it still left Northern Ireland as the third best performer of the 13 UK regions measured during July.
Footfall measured at shopping centres in the north fell by 3.8% year-on-year according to the data.
But Belfast appeared to buck the July trend, with footfall marginally rising by 0.3% in July.
It was one of only three UK cities to record an annual improvement last month.
“Consumers prioritised experiences, eating out and holidays over visits to stores in July,” said NIRC director Neil Johnston.
“This weakness was felt across all retail destinations compared to the month before.
“That said, store visits in Belfast remained a touch above the levels of twelve months ago, and Northern Ireland as a whole was the third best performer of the twelve parts of the UK surveyed.
“These somewhat feeble footfall results will be a disappointment for retailers who had been hoping for a shopper dividend from the combination of falling shop price inflation, cuts in employee national insurance contributions, and the rosier outlook for household disposable incomes.”
