Saturdays are back on top for shoppers: John Lewis reveals some stores are now as busy as the 1990s on weekends in much-needed boost for retail sector
- According to retailer John Lewis, there has been a return to weekend shopping
- Some of the retail giant’s stores are as busy as their 1990s pre-internet heyday
- Saturday shopped now account for almost a fifth of the total weekly footfall
In a much-needed boost for the nation’s shopkeepers, Saturdays are now busier in towns and cities than before the pandemic.
Department store chain John Lewis, a bellwether for the retail sector, says it has been seeing a return to the traditional pattern of families shopping at weekends, and that some stores are even as busy as their 1990s, pre-internet heyday.
Town and city centres are still far emptier on weekdays than they were pre-Covid, as millions of people continue to work from home either all or some of the time.
While this means fewer opportunities to pop to shops at lunch or after work, more people are now heading to them at the weekend.
As a result, Saturday shoppers now account for almost a fifth of the total weekly footfall on high streets, shopping centres and retail parks – a higher figure than in 2019.
Saturdays are now busier in towns and cities than before the pandemic
Department store chain John Lewis, a bellwether for the retail sector, says it has been seeing a return to the traditional pattern of families shopping at weekends, and that some stores are even as busy as their 1990s, pre-internet heyday
A spokesman for John Lewis said: ‘We have seen a shift from weekdays to weekends, with footfall on Saturdays up by 11 per cent compared with before Covid. With so many people working from home during the week, the weekend has become even more of an occasion to go out, so it’s the perfect excuse for a trip to the shops to treat yourself at the end of the working week or to meet up with friends and family.’
Mondays are now the quietest day of the week in offices, and have been dubbed ‘the new Friday’ – the day which had traditionally seen the fewest commuters.
Chris Wroe, head of data and analytics at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: ‘More people than ever are opting for stay-at-home Mondays, with as many as two-fifths of us making the most of flexible working at the start of the week in major office districts. Friday is also still quiet.‘But with traffic close to pre- pandemic levels on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the midweek office buzz is back.’
