Christmas Eve trade slumps in British high streets over Omicron risk
The number of Christmas Eve shoppers in British city centres has slumped as people stay in to avoid the risk of being infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant, data suggests.
Central London was hardest hit, with footfall down 30% compared with Friday last week, and 48% compared with Christmas Eve in 2019, according to data covering morning trading from Springboard. Footfall also fell by 10% week on week in other cities.
The government has so far held off on imposing new restrictions on England. However, shopper numbers have fallen dramatically as people avoid crowds to ensure they are able to see family at Christmas.
Footfall was lower than Christmas Eve 2019 across high streets, retail parks and shopping centres – although all categories
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