New data from Ipsos Retail Performance reveals, the effects of heavy discounting on Black Friday extended through early January, shifting sales away from the traditionally solid trading period.

It is the ninth consecutive month of footfall volumes, and is likely to have encouraged the swathe of job cuts announced in the start of the year.

The most significantly affected were London and the South East, both seeing footfall and the North dropped 5.3%.

“This month’s footfall figures confirm that it has been a slow start to the retail year, though the news is diverse across the regions,” Ipsos director of retail intelligence Dr Tim Denison said.

It is been well documented market conditions and exceptionally tough last year, understandably the British public are remaining watchful as we start 2018.

It has built an imperative for retailers to review their business model and operate in a different order to survive.