Retail footfall in the UK fell by 1.7% compared to August of last year, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic. This decline comes despite cooler weather in August, which encouraged some shoppers to return to stores after a very hot July. While the overall drop is less severe than in July, when footfall fell by 3.8%, high streets still face ongoing challenges. Retail parks saw a slight increase of 1% in footfall, while shopping centres experienced a small decline of 0.5%. The performance varied across regions, with footfall down 0.1% in Scotland, 1.3% in Wales, and 2.1% in England, but rising by 2.8% in Northern Ireland. Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, noted that the improvement in August was due in part to the cooler temperatures, which encouraged people to shop for essentials and back-to-school items after the heatwave in July. She highlighted that while retail parks performed better than other areas, high streets continue to struggle. Dickinson urged the government to support the sector by addressing high business rates and energy costs, which she said are critical to keeping prices low and sustaining jobs and communities. She called on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to provide relief in the upcoming Budget. Andy Sumpter from Sensormatic said the August data shows a modest improvement in retail footfall, though it still remains below last year's levels. He pointed out that the decline has slowed compared to the previous months, which could be a sign that the sector is stabilizing. However, he emphasized that the negative growth continues to put pressure on retailers, who are still facing difficult conditions. In July, the UK's retail sector continued to struggle with the effects of a prolonged heatwave, which kept shoppers away from high streets and shopping centres. Total footfall dropped by 2.1% compared to the same period last year, an improvement from June’s 3.4% decline. High street footfall fell by 3.8% annually, which was better than the 6.2% drop in June. Shopping centres also saw a 1.4% decrease in visits, though this was an improvement on the 2.5% decline in June.