UK retail destinations have enjoyed a promising beginning to the Boxing Day sales, with early data revealing a significant uptick in visitors to retail parks compared to last year. This marks an encouraging shift for the sector after a challenging year.
Retail Parks Lead the Boxing Day Charge
According to retail analysts MRI Software, which monitors over 660 UK destinations, footfall in retail parks had risen by 6.9% year-on-year by 1pm on Friday 26 December. This contrasted with high streets and shopping centres, where visitor numbers were down 2.4% and 2.6% respectively in the early afternoon.
Jenni Matthews, a retail analyst at MRI Software, described the figures as a "really positive start to Boxing Day, which we’ve not seen for a number of years." She highlighted the strength of this performance given the sector's tough start to 2025 and noted it represented a "really, really strong close to the year."
Matthews suggested the success of retail parks could be due to their offering of hospitality and leisure alongside shops, turning a shopping trip into a fuller day out. This sentiment was echoed by Westfield, where a spokesperson noted Boxing Day is increasingly seen as a "full-day occasion" blending retail, dining, and leisure.
Shifting Patterns: Coastal Towns Gain, London Dips
The data revealed notable geographical variations in shopping behaviour. Coastal towns saw a notable 10% increase in footfall, while central London locations experienced a decline of almost 8%.
Analysts proposed this could indicate more people travelling away for the festive break or that coastal areas are successfully hosting events to attract visitors. This shift occurs against a backdrop of changed behaviour since the pandemic, with more stores choosing to remain closed on Boxing Day to allow staff time off, a contrast to the early-morning queues seen a decade ago.
Shopper Sentiment: Caution and Celebration
While early footfall data was positive, a pre-Christmas Barclays survey had indicated fewer people planned to participate in the sales this year for "cost-conscious" reasons. On the ground, shoppers reflected this mixed picture.
Jaimini, 45, from Harrow, who shops every Boxing Day, reported spending less than in previous years, being "more aware of what you’re buying." Conversely, Donnel, 25, from south-west London, said he budgets carefully in advance to ensure he can shop freely.
Broader spending data from Visa offered a brighter outlook, showing overall UK holiday retail spending from 1 November to 23 December increased by 3.6% compared to the same period last year, though this figure was not adjusted for inflation.
