Brexit worries and online stores hit shopping centre sales

Retail outlet footfall drops drastically as fewer shoppers make Boxing Day trips and prefer leisure experiences to spending on physical goods

Retailers are facing a tough close to the festive season amid signs that shoppers have ditched the traditional post-Christmas sales trip due to Brexit worries and the growing popularity of online stores.

Shopping centres had a particularly disappointing Boxing Day, suffering a 19.9% year-on-year drop in footfall - a measure of shopper numbers. High streets saw footfall decline 2.2% compared with 2015, and for out of town retail parks footfall was down 4.2%, despite earlier optimism, according to retail analysts Springboard.