Shopping Centres Enjoy Post-Lockdown Resurgence

UK consumers welcome the return of the shopping trip

Last month, we welcomed the news that shopping centres opened their doors to the public once again, bringing the long-awaited return of the traditional shopping trip UK consumers love and missed. The nationwide lockdown had forced many into ordering their groceries, clothes & electricals online and the shift in e-commere spend was huge.

But whilst many were making the switch to online shopping, the return of the UK high street has been welcomed by many, in fact recent research has indicated the nearly 90% of consumers enjoyed the post-lockdown shopping experience. Encouraging signs for the high street then, as many cited their local high-street stores as a more trustworthy source than the larger supermarkets. In fact, small independent stores saw 69% more sales in the three months to 20 June, according to the latest market data from analysts Kantar.

Whilst social distancing measures are in place, our UK shopping centre partners have now all opened their doors, with shoppers eagerly returning to their local centre for their first shopping trips, and they’re ready to spend too; new research shows from land owners Savills shows:

• 88% of shoppers found the post-lockdown retail experience positive
• 83% spent up to 1.5 hours within the shopping centre
• 28% spent more than expected

The news has also allowed us to re-open our shopping mall advertising network to advertisers.

What’s more, a lot of our 110+ strong mall partners have posted some encouraging early footfall figures now 65% of pre-lockdown levels, encouraging signs that the sector is on its way to returning to normal.

The new social distancing rules encourage shoppers to engage with media, guiding them through one-way systems that pass our eye-catching digital portrait & large format screens throughout each venue.

In light of the current situation, we are still offering some exceptional value & flexibility during the summer and early Autumn period for customers to take advantage of. During July, August and September we are running a 2 for 1 promotion allowing customers to get twice as much value from their campaigns. Flexible campaigns can be bought with day-part and weekend/weekday packages available and with very little lead times.