Shop Footfall Down 10% After Paris Attacks

Shopping trips fell by a tenth in the wake of the Paris attacks according to the boss of the property giant that owns some of the UK's major retail centres.

David Atkins, chief executive of FTSE 100 firm Hammerson (Other OTC: HMSNF - news) , told Sky News, in response to a question about the attacks, that footfall was down 10% in the wake of the murders of 130 people in the French capital.

But he said consumers had proven resilient, flocking back to stores for Black Friday and that the bounce-back meant subsequent numbers were now ahead.

Hammerson owns shopping centres and retail parks including London's Brent Cross, Silverburn in Glasgow and The Oracle in Reading, as well as owning a joint stake in the Bicester shopping village. Mr Atkins told Sky’s Ian King that the Paris attacks in mid-November did have an impact.

He said: "Undoubtedly, particularly in London, we did see an effect – footfall initially down about 10%. But that's rebounded and I'm pleased to say that people are very resilient, coming out with their families.

"If you look at the sales and footfall over Black Friday, very encouraging, and we are now overall on a positive trend again, so we are up about 2% for the current period."

Hammerson later sought to clarify the comments. The company said the 10% figure was a reference to industry data showing a wider fall in shopper numbers over the Black Friday weekend.

But the remarks appeared to represent the latest sign of how the Paris attacks created anxiety among consumers, following reports that restaurants and bar trade had also been affected.

Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director at retail analysts Springboard, said: "The drop in footfall recorded post the atrocities in Paris are likely to result from a cautiousness amongst visitors in terms of making trips to key attractions.

"However, the proximity of the date to the impending Black Friday and the fact that shoppers are likely to be waiting for this to make purchases in the run up to Christmas is also likely to have contributed to the drop."

Daily figures from Springboard showed sharp drops in footfall in some locations on the day after the Paris attacks. Its high street index was down 16.7% compared to the same Saturday a year before. Other days also saw declines compared to 2014, but they were much smaller.

Last week, transport operator Stagecoach issued a profits warning after the Paris murders discouraged rail and coach passengers from travelling to major cities.

The travel industry has also been buffeted by the series of terror attacks this year including the massacre on a beach in Tunisia in the summer and the downing of a Russian jet from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh.

Last month, Thomas Cook (Xetra: A0MR3W - news) boss Peter Fankhauser said the series of attacks had caused "an unprecedented level of disruption" in the sector.

Andrew Swaffield, boss of airline Monarch, said customers were not booking holidays as far in advance as they normally do.

:: The full interview with David Atkins will be broadcast on Ian King Live tonight at 6.30pm.