Hybrid Office Dynamics Impact Brick-and-Mortar Retail Footfall

High streets are leading the retail sector with 33% of shoppers visiting weekly or more. Luckily for brick-and-mortar, shopping still holds space as a leisure and social activity.

As the first month of the new year passes and we move further into defining the new “normal” for 2025, there are new insights into how retail footfall is showing its presence. With the holiday season residing, the workforce is returning to their daily routines. In these new schedules, retailers must identify the best scopes for their growth.

As per research by MRI Software, evening shopping might be the most fruitful opportunity retail leaders can capitalise on, with 33% of office workers choosing evening shopping after 5 pm across all retail destinations as their preference.

Produced in partnership with Retail Economics, the MRI Software Consumer Pulse Report provides insights on channel preferences, retail destinations, workplace dynamics and the outlook for 2025. It is designed to help retail brands and supporting sectors to better understand the changes in consumer behaviour that underpin the demand for bricks and mortar retail.

This understanding will enable those who own, manage and occupy physical retail to establish the priorities for shoppers to help ensure they can maximise their revenue potential and business success.

Insights into Retail Destinations

The research revealed that 88% of the UK population visited a physical retail destination in the past month, up from 86.1% in May 2024. High streets led in frequency, averaging 2.2 visits per month, with 33% of adults visiting weekly or more. Midsized shopping centres in towns followed, with 69% visiting in the past month and 29% weekly, while retail parks saw 66% visiting monthly and 22% weekly.

Other insights:

• 43% of consumers visited major flagship centres (e.g. Westfield, Bluewater, Leeds Trinity) in the past month, reflecting their destination-driven appeal for less frequent but planned trips.
• Under-35s averaged 9.5 visits to physical retail destinations in the past month, more than double the 4.7 visits recorded among over-55s, challenging assumptions that younger shoppers prioritise online over physical retail.
• On a regional basis, Greater London had the most visits to physical retail destinations, at 8.3 in the last month, while Wales had the fewest at 6.4.

Hybrid Working Impacts Retail Habits

Nearly half (48%) of workers operate on a hybrid schedule, combining office and remote work, with fully remote workers accounting for 20% and 33% working completely on-site.

Wednesdays see the highest office attendance (55%), followed by Tuesdays (52%), while Fridays (33%) have lower attendance, reflecting a preference for flexible schedules and longer weekends. Hybrid working increases with income, reaching 59% for workers earning over £60K, compared to 38% for those earning under £40K. Fully remote work is evenly distributed among higher earners (£60K+), at 24%, while those under £40K are least likely to adopt this model (19%).

Insights into how work formats impact shopping frequencies:

• Nearly 37% of respondents visit high streets, and 31% visit retail parks more frequently on office days, reflecting their convenience during commutes or breaks from work.
• 39% of respondents report no difference in visit frequency for flagship shopping centres, while 37% indicate consistent engagement with town-centre shopping centres, regardless of their work location.
• The majority of respondents (57%) engage in gift-buying or socialising activity primarily on

weekends or days off, underscoring the continued importance of leisure time for shopping and errands.

• In contrast, only 13-15% perform these activities on office days, with slightly more (19-21%) opting for work-from-home days due to added flexibility.

Festive Trends and Outlook for 2025

Over a quarter of shoppers (26%) expect to spend more on Christmas gifts than last year, with a similar proportion (28%) expecting to spend less, reflecting a mixed spending outlook for the busiest period of the year for retail and leisure operators. Two in five shoppers under 35 (40%) plan to spend more this Christmas compared to last year, whereas only 16% of those aged 55 and over expect to increase their spending. In contrast, more than half of shoppers aged 55+ (53%) plan to spend the same as last year, underscoring a clear generational divide in spending optimism.

Other insights include:

• Affluent shoppers earning over £50k are notably more optimistic, with 34% intending to spend more, while over a third of those earning under £30k (34%) expect to cut back.
• While 38% of hybrid workers and 37% of fully remote workers plan to increase their spending, 25% of office workers are looking to cut back, highlighting how work arrangements can influence spending behaviour during the festive season.

Retail leaders can jump into this crucial data to identify opportunities of growth and capitalise on them for sustained success. As new habits entangled with work routines show themselves, businesses can leverage the data to elevate sales and grow customer footfall.