Survey predicts 13.2% drop in foot traffic in Q2

Chicago ShopperTrak Friday reported the second quarter will be a continued challenge for retailers as both traffic and sales levels are expected to post steady declines vs. the same period last year.

According to the company’s Retail Traffic Index,  total U.S. foot traffic will slip a sharp 13.0% ,while the company’s National Retail Sales Estimate is forecasting a 2.4% retail sales drop for the three-month period.

“Looking ahead, Q3 should get a slight boost from the annually solid back-to-school shopping season and as always Q4 will benefit from the holidays -- but our data seems to support the thinking of most economists which is real recovery most likely won’t begin until early 2010,” said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak.