Footfall

But Mr Wetherill said: “There is more footfall here – we’re in the middle of the city centre so there is going to be more footfall but that doesn’t mean more customers.

This past weekend, Lancaster experienced a record-breaking surge in footfall, with more than 80,000 footfall impressions being recorded as crowds descended upon the city as Light Up Lancaster Festival took place.

Ali Yassin, who has worked on the curry mile for 16 years and now owns Krunchy Fried Chicken there, said footfall on the street has dropped massively since before the pandemic.

Although e-commerce has represented a major issue for most retailers, contributing to declining margins and poor growth, Burlington has been able to maintain growth and footfall.

And the disastrous domino effect became much worse when the Covid pandemic reduced footfall to a trickle, and further entrenched online buying habits.

Ann O'Driscoll of L’Atelier Stylist & Boutique in Midleton agrees, adding while she initially saw a drastic drop in footfall, the community, along with travelling shoppers, have since kept the town alive through its support for local traders.

A scheme hoping to encourage greater footfall in hospitality venues has been relaunched today.

A Sleaford pet shop has closed its doors after 30 years in the town with owners blaming soaring costs and a decline in footfall.

Both centres have remained strongholds of retail in their respective regions, boasting robust footfall, high occupancy levels, and continued growth in recent years, said Savills.

But at the end, when you then finalized the negotiation, if you have a weaker position because maybe your shopping center or your store is not providing for great footfall and allowing great turnover stand, than maybe some more difficult negotiation.

But there are hidden gems that may not get the footfall more well-known places benefit from.

Cllr Williams said his group were not entirely opposed to 20mph zones being introduced in some places, especially where there are schools and areas of high pedestrian footfall.

Concerns over footfall at national parks is not new - just this year, hundreds of people were photographed queuing to reach the peak of Snowdon as figures confirmed 600,000 people visit the mountain every year.

During Monday’s monthly meeting of the Tralee Municipal District (TMD) council Mayor of Tralee Cllr Mikey Sheehy asked management for an update on a motion he tabled three years ago calling for a footfall study to be carried out in the town centre.

Footfall in December was down by seven per cent compared to November 2022.

However, footfall remained below pre-pandemic levels, hampered in part by rail strikes and severe weather.

However, Springboard said a large part of the difference was due to last week beginning on Christmas Day (Sunday), when footfall is at its lowest, whereas the year before it began on Boxing Day.

In his address, Steve Godwin, the BID manager, highlighted the achievements in boosting footfall and acknowledged the vital role played by services like the Town Rangers in supporting local businesses.

It came after the health and beauty retailer and pharmacy group revealed that strong high street footfall helped sales jump over the latest quarter.

It is hoped the display will draw residents and shoppers to Boston Town Centre - with the increased footfall benefitting local businesses.