New data from Liverpool BID Company reveals Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme significantly boosted footfall in the city centre. Tony McDonough reports
A Government scheme to encourage people to eat out during August has been linked to a surge in footfall in Liverpool city centre.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the Eat Out to Help Out scheme earlier in the summer. It runs from August 3 to 31 and saw diners receive a 50% discount from their bill at participating restaurants on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Now Liverpool BID Company has released new data showing footfall in both the retail and commercial districts in the city centre on those three days throughout August was 27% higher than in July. It was the highest level of footfall since the CIVID-19 lockdown began in March 2020.
On the final Wednesday of the scheme, August 26, footfall figures were just a fraction under the last Wednesday before lockdown was introduced in March 2020 (180,154 on August 26, 182,145 on Wednesday, March 11).
The data, showing footfall across Liverpool’s two BID areas, which encompass the commercial district from the Strand, Castle Street, James Street and up to Liverpool ONE, and the retail and leisure area, leading from Lord Street and Victoria Street, across Church Street, St John’s Market, Williamson Square and up to Bold Street, ending at Berry Street and Renshaw Street.
The good weather in July, and then later August, helped to boost the figures as people took advantage of Liverpool BID Company, Liverpool City Council and Culture Liverpool’s Liverpool Without Walls and outside dining offer.
Liverpool’s footfall is around a third down on the same period last year, largely due to a lack of international tourism and office workers. Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID Company, said: “The scheme has provided a much-needed boost for both Liverpool’s hospitality sector, but also for the city itself.
“The hard work isn’t over, however, and as the scheme ends we are looking at how we can continue to support our retail and hospitality businesses, significantly at ways in which we can continue to support outdoor dining later in the year.
“The sector has continued to come to us with their concerns and we will continue to lobby on their behalf, locally, regionally and nationally to ensure they get the help they need to survive this year.”