Footfall across town centres in Denbighshire is down again. Footfall counters suggest, on average, there's been a nine per cent drop. Y Rhyl and Prestatyn are standing up better than rural market towns. So, comparing quarters 1 & 2 in 2016 and 2017 and we see a four per cent drop in Y Rhyl and one per cent in Prestatyn. Yet, there was a 14 per cent drop in Corwen and 11 per cent in Dinbych. Llangollen stood still. And that nine per cent drop on average.
What of Rhuthun/Ruthin? The footfall counter on the Square went missing in April to June 2017. When engineers changed the street column on which the survey company placed its box, it didn't get put back. So, all we can say is that between Q1 2016 and Q1 2017—winter—the footfall in Rhuthun fell by 11 per cent. Would Q2 in 2017 have made any difference? We will never know. The trend in Dinbych would suggest that the spring fall (Q2) would equal that in the winter (Q1): Dinbych's footfall in Q1 (only) fell by 11 per cent, the same as Qs 1 & 2 combined.
So, between June 2016 and 2015, we saw an average reduction in footfall in Denbighshire of 11 per cent and four per cent in Rhuthun. Now, looking at data a year later, we see a further nine per cent fall in Denbighshire between Qs1 & 2 2016 and 2017 and possibly as high as 11 per cent in Rhuthun.
What could be causing this alarming slide?
The usual culprits apply: the growth in online shopping and the pull of out-of-town retail. But, now, there could be more at play:
What of Rhuthun/Ruthin? The footfall counter on the Square went missing in April to June 2017. When engineers changed the street column on which the survey company placed its box, it didn't get put back. So, all we can say is that between Q1 2016 and Q1 2017—winter—the footfall in Rhuthun fell by 11 per cent. Would Q2 in 2017 have made any difference? We will never know. The trend in Dinbych would suggest that the spring fall (Q2) would equal that in the winter (Q1): Dinbych's footfall in Q1 (only) fell by 11 per cent, the same as Qs 1 & 2 combined.
So, between June 2016 and 2015, we saw an average reduction in footfall in Denbighshire of 11 per cent and four per cent in Rhuthun. Now, looking at data a year later, we see a further nine per cent fall in Denbighshire between Qs1 & 2 2016 and 2017 and possibly as high as 11 per cent in Rhuthun.
What could be causing this alarming slide?
The usual culprits apply: the growth in online shopping and the pull of out-of-town retail. But, now, there could be more at play:
- The government is revising its growth forecast down, which means the economy isn't growing
- Wages are still restrained, especially in the public sector, on which Denbighshire relies heavily
- Inflation is rising and we should also perhaps mention the steady rise in fuel costs.