the number of buyers in the UK decreased by 18.6% compared to the period before the pandemic

According to data released Thursday, the volume of sales in the UK fell drastically in December, falling 18.6 percent below the 2019 average, owing to increased consumer anxiety over the rapid spread of the Omicron model.

According to the study, data from November 28 to January 2 revealed that the number of customers declined by 22.2 percent on major roads, 24.1 percent in malls, and 4.9 percent in retail from the previous year, before the pandemic damaged trade.

“A combination of consumer worries about the sudden rise in diseases, the risk of missing Christmas, and the isolation of households owing to infection has not materialized,” said Springboard CEO Diane Werle.

The margin between 2019 and the fourth week (beginning December 19) dropped to 13.8 percent across all UK retail venues, according to the researcher, as shoppers took advantage of the six available shopping days in the week coming up to Christmas.

The shop sector’s biggest problem in the coming weeks will be continuing guidance on working from home. Retail sales in the United Kingdom declined sharply in the first half of December, according to data released on December 21, as buyers were scared away by concerns about Omicron.

Supermarkets in the United Kingdom, on the other hand, scored well, according to statistics published on Wednesday.