After a bleak few weeks for retailers, the Easter bank holiday delivered a welcome boost, with a solid uplift for UK retail destinations compared with Easter 2025. Overall footfall rose by 3.4%, driven by a 4.1% increase in visits to high streets, according to data from MRI Software.
Easter Monday was the busiest day, with high street footfall jumping 21.1% year-on-year as the warm weather and planned Easter events drew people out of their homes. Historic and coastal towns benefitted most – up by 5.1% and 7.2% respectively, suggesting families flocked to beaches and tourist attractions – with central London and regional cities also seeing solid visitor numbers. Retail parks and shopping centres also got a bank holiday boost, with visits up by 5.2% and 9%.
Warm weather improves footfall
Despite disappointing results for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, MRI’s data shows that when the conditions are right, holidays can still drive significant in-store gains for retailers. The impact of the UK’s notoriously unreliable weather is also clear; February’s heavy rain saw high street footfall decline sharply by 4.7% year-on-year, according to BRC-Sensomatic data, whereas the sunny Easter Monday brought shoppers out in droves.
The Easter uplift is an encouraging reminder that physical retail continues to resonate with consumers — setting a positive tone as retailers look ahead to the summer trading period.
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