In spite of some generally gloomy commentaries in the media, there was an upbeat message from FootFall about retail prospects.

Natasha Burton, marketing manager at FootFall, commented: "Now that the first payday of 2006 has passed, shoppers have begun to return to the high street. Retailers will be hoping to sustain this momentum as the year continues, especially with Valentines Day and the school half-term figures now to be addd to the reckoning. Looking the monthly RFI figures, 2006 continues to perform in line with the latter half of 2005, though the fall of 4.6 per cent in January 2006 compared to the previous year is the most significant year-on-year fall that we've seen since August 2005. Despite this, recent reports of a resurgence in the housing market suggest that there may be more positive times on the horizon for retailers, though any recovery is likely to be a drawn-out process."

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