NI retail takes a spring hit as footfall comes ‘back to earth with a bump'
The number of bargain hunters at local shopping centres and in Belfast fell in May compared to the performance for May 2024, according to the latest data from the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC).
It attributed April's strong performance in part to good weather, and said May's underperformance may relate to the higher National Insurance costs businesses are now paying.
The results are a marked contrast with April, when Northern Ireland saw the largest growth in footfall of any UK region, going up 14.3%. Belfast was the best-performing city last month, seeing a 21.3% bump to footfall.
Northern Ireland and its capital are more middle of the road in May, with a 1.4% shrinkage placing it seventh out of the 13 UK nations and regions listed.
Belfast was sixth out of 11 ranked cities.
The combination of economic uncertainty worldwide and increases in domestic national insurance costs provided a worrying background for shoppers in May and it looks like some have decided to play it safe and stay away from the shops for now.
Neil Johnston, director of the NIRC, said: 'After encouraging figures and sunshine in April it was back down to earth again with a bump in May.
'Footfall was disappointing across the UK with the number of shoppers down by 1.7% and down by 1.4% in Northern Ireland compared to a year ago.
'Belfast had a remarkable surge in shoppers in April — up over 20% compared to the previous April — boosted by the later Easter. So perhaps the fact that Belfast is down 1.9% this May compared to the previous May is not that surprising.
'The combination of economic uncertainty worldwide and increases in domestic national insurance costs provided a worrying background for shoppers in May and it looks like some have decided to play it safe and stay away from the shops for now.
'The picture on footfall is also reflected in the retail sales figures which showed consumers putting the brakes on non-essential spending.
'This is not an encouraging situation for retailers facing higher employer National Insurance contributions and other statutory costs from the changes that kicked in during April.'
News Catch Up - Thursday 12th June
Retail consultant Andy Sumpter said: 'Northern Ireland's retail footfall held up better than the UK average in May, with a year-on-year decline of -1.4% compared to -1.7% nationally.
'High streets and shopping centres still saw some softening, but retail parks continued to show resilience, supported by their convenience and accessibility.
'Despite the warm and sunny weather — more typical of peak summer than late spring — footfall didn't fully reflect the brighter conditions, suggesting that consumers may have prioritised leisure and outdoor activities over shopping.
'Nevertheless, May's result marks a clear improvement on the -3.0% seen in the same month last year and contributes to a more stable trend in 2025.
'Encouragingly, consumer sentiment is on the rise, with more people feeling optimistic about their personal finances and the wider economy.
'Notwithstanding ongoing cost-of-living pressures, retailers in Northern Ireland will be looking to make hay while the sun shines — focusing on the right mix of experience, value, and convenience to convert seasonal footfall into sustained growth.'
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