After the porst-pandemic rebound of 2024, the UK retail market entered a phase of consolidation in 2025. According to the latest Footfall Trend Report from PFM Intelligence, overall activity across physical retail and leisure destinations stabilized, with growth increasingly concentrated in experience-led environments rather than volume-driven retail alone.
The bi-annual report, based on anonymised sensor data tracking more than 3 billion movements across the UK and Europe, shows total UK footfall edging up by 0.27% year-on-year. While modest, this figure marks a clear transition from recovery to maturity, with performance shaped more by quality of visits than by sheer numbers.
Passer-by footfall grew faster, at 0.55%, indicating more people present in streets and shopping centers. However, retail visits increased by only 0.16%, underlining a structural shift towards fewer but more purposeful shopping trips. Consumers remain active in physical environments, but increasingly selective about when and where they engage with retail.
As Alberto Rodriguez Pariente, Data Analyst at PFM Intelligence, notes, growth is no longer about attracting people “at any cost”, but about creating destinations that convert footfall into meaningful engagement through relevance, experience and quality.
Formats that win – and those that lag
The report highlights a clear divergence by retail format. Shopping centers (+2.2%) and high streets (+2.1%) outperformed the market, benefiting from improved tenant mix, food and beverage, and experiential concepts. In contrast, retail parks (-0.3%) and standalone shops (-0.1%) continued to underperform, reflecting pressure from online competition and increasingly mission-led consumer behaviour.
London once again exceeded the national average in overall footfall, supported by tourism, office returns and leisure activity. Yet the capital also illustrated a growing challenge: higher visitor numbers are not translating proportionally into retail visits, emphasising the importance of conversion and dwell quality in dense urban markets.
Glasgow as a case in point
The dynamics identified by PFM Intelligence are clearly visible in Glasgow, where experience-led asset management has translated into standout performance. Silverburn, owned by Henderson Park and managed by Eurofund Group, recorded its highest-ever footfall in 2025, reaching approximately 16.5 million visits.
This represents a 10% increase on the previous record of 15 million visits in 2024 and stands in contrast to the modest national growth reported by PFM. The center also achieved a 20% uplift in footfall during the pre-Christmas trading week compared with the previous year, alongside strong sales performance across all categories.
Alberto Esguevillas, CEO UK Retail at Eurofund Group, commented:
“These record footfall figures reflect a strategy focused on improving the quality and mix of brands. By responding to the needs of our local and wider catchment, Silverburn has become Scotland’s leading destination for retail, F&B and leisure.”
Over the past year, Silverburn has welcomed brands such as Bershka, Hollister, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Haribo, Wingstop, H Beauty, Black Sheep Coffee, Jo Malone and King Pins. During three years of ownership, the joint venture has reduced vacancy from 20% to near full occupancy, reinforcing its position as a dominant regional destination. The center’s performance has been recognised with awards including Retail Destination of the Year at the SCEPTRE Awards and Asset Management Initiative of the Year at the REVO Awards.
A mature market, defined by conversion
PFM Intelligence expects low-growth conditions to persist into 2026, with success increasingly measured by conversion rates, spend per visit and asset quality rather than headline footfall alone. Glasgow’s Silverburn demonstrates how these principles translate into results: by aligning retail with food, leisure and experience, destinations can outperform even as the wider market stabilizes.
As UK retail moves beyond recovery, the message from both national data and local success stories is clear. The future belongs to destinations that offer consumers a compelling reason not just to pass by — but to stay, engage and return.
