Shoppers' visits to the high street in the run-up to Christmas are on the increase, but figures are still down sharply on last year, according to Footfall, the retail analyst.

For the seven days to December 4, the week-on-week increase in visitors to retail destinations was 7.1 per cent. However, the year-on-year comparison showed a 5.2 per cent drop compared to 2004.

The figures coincide with data that suggests online retailers are posing a greater threat than ever to traditional "bricks and mortar" companies.

The online retail sector accounted for 15 per cent of internet visits in the UK last week, according to Hitwise, the internet analysis company. The share was the highest recorded this year.

eBay continued to be the most visited retail website in the UK, accounting for nearly 6 per cent of all online visits and one-third of visits to online shopping sites - driven by searches for Sony's PSP games console and Microsoft's Xbox 360, which has been in short supply on the high street.

Natasha Burton, the marketing manager at FootFall, said: "The pre-Christmas rush is slower than anticipated, partly due to the levels retailers experienced during mid-November when flash sales in many of the major stores coincided with an unexpected cold snap, driving shoppers out to buy seasonal goods and clothing.

"Consequently, we are seeing sizeable week on week rises, alternating with downturn or very low increases when consumers are feeling temporarily ‘shopped out’ or awaiting the next round of offers."

Department stores performed relatively well, she added, with a week-on-week increase of 8.8 per cent and a significant recovery year-on-year, with the gap between 2004 levels closing to just -0.5 per cent.

Ms Burton said: "The upswing in footfall figures this week bodes well for the final weeks before Christmas as long as the week ahead sustains momentum. It will be interesting to see if retailers have done enough in the earlier period to guarantee sustained growth in these last all important weeks to protect their margins."

Data on the high street's health has been mixed, as the retail sector approaches its most important period.

This week the British Retail Consortium (BRC) — which has repeatedly given warning of miserable trading conditions — said that November was the best shopping month since March.

The total value of retail sales rose 4.6 per cent compared with a year ago, the BRC said, up from 3.7 per cent the previous month. Its measure of like-for-like sales, which strips out changes in floorspace, showed sales growth of 0.8 per cent, the first positive figure for eight months.

The report contrasted with the findings of the CBI’s distributive trades survey, which fell last week to its worst reading for 22 years. That survey had been treated with scepticism by analysts.

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