Exeter and Torquay high street revival amid 103% surge in footfall

People are flocking back to town and city centres across the South West – with a surge in activity on Tuesdays. Place Informatics, a provider of footfall and location visitor behaviour data, has uncovered changing working patterns are giving rise to a surge in footfall activity on Tuesdays, with town centres experiencing more than double the number of workers compared to the same period last year. In March 2023, there was an astonishing 103 per cent increase in footfall, signaling a significant shift in hybrid working patterns over the past 12 months.

This latest data illuminates how millions of individuals are choosing to work in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, rather than spending the majority of their week working from home. With many still working remotely on Mondays, the “new normal” entails returning to the office on Tuesdays, where workers are taking advantage of their commute and lunch breaks to engage in shopping and social activities.

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The comprehensive report compiled data from ten cities and towns across the South West region, including Exeter, Plymouth, Bristol, Torquay, Weston-Super-Mare, Wells, Poole, Newquay, Truro, and Bideford.

Among these locations, Bristol, Wells, and Poole witnessed the most significant year-on-year increase in footfall compared to the previous year, revealing that hybrid working habits have made Tuesdays busier than Sundays. Tuesday has emerged as the second busiest day, just behind Saturday. Surprisingly, for both Wells and Poole, footfall on Tuesday surpassed that of both Saturday and Sunday, making it the most popular day of the week for visitors.

Place Informatics leverages mobility location data to analyse visitor behaviour patterns in over 2,300 town centres across the UK, including all 260 Business Improvement District town centres. Footfall serves as a valuable indicator of town centre and high street performance. However, gaining an understanding of visitor behaviour and their originating catchment areas is crucial in providing the necessary information to support and potentially transform the fortunes of numerous town centres throughout the UK.

Clive Hall, CEO of Place Informatics, shared his insights on the findings, stating: “It is interesting to see how hybrid worker behaviour has evolved since the pandemic, and it is evident that our new working habits are significantly impacting footfall numbers. Tuesdays have experienced a tremendous surge in popularity, which we believe can be attributed to millions of individuals opting to work from home on Mondays and then returning to the office or scheduling meetings on Tuesdays. However, it is surprising to observe how busy Tuesdays have become, surpassing even Sundays and Saturdays in some towns.”