Employees tend to go into the office between Tuesday and Thursday, according to an analysis of mobile phone data.
PlaceMake.io and Visitor Insights looked at anonymised data for more than 500 high streets between 2019 and 2022, and discovered that the typical office working week has changed since the pandemic.
The study found that there was increased activity in suburban and small towns as fewer employees commuted to major cities and worked from home. Seaside towns were also busier than before the pandemic.
According to PlaceMake.io, the towns recording the biggest increase in activity included Marlow, Glossop, Matlock, Colchester, Buxton and Melton Mowbray. Activity in Marlow and Glossop increased by a third.
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Kirkby in Merseyside saw footfall up by 160% over three years, the research found.
Seaside town activity increased by a significant margin, with Morecambe seeing a 70% rise, Budleigh Salterton a 59% rise, and Porthcawl a 55% rise.
PlaceMake.io founder Chlump Chatkupt told BBC News: “The places that have thrived have a more balanced, diverse mix of office, residential and retail.
“Residents are spending more time at home and in their local community and finding they can do a lot without venturing too far out.”
In May 2022, an analysis of labour force data by the TUC found that regular working from home in the UK had tripled since before the pandemic.
AWA, a consultancy specialising in workplaces, recently studied 79 offices representing nearly 107,000 people. It showed people came into the office an average of 28% of the time (1.4 days), peak occupancy was just 36% on Wednesdays, dropping to just 18% on a Friday.
Managing director Andrew Mawson said his the research showed “how much potential efficiency gains there could be and the threat to office block owners”.
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