Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteTo find out whether roadwork may be affecting your business, compare sales revenue, transaction counts and customer visits before, during and after the work. Match comparable trading days, and keep a dated log of access, parking, visibility, deliveries and construction phases. This gives you practical evidence of what changed; it does not, by itself, prove roadwork caused every change in sales.
Which business measures should you track?
Track visits separately from sales. A drop in footfall can indicate that fewer people are reaching your premises; transaction counts and revenue show what happened after customers arrived.
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- Revenue: Use the same sales measure throughout, such as gross sales, and note whether refunds, tax or other adjustments are included.
- Transactions: Count completed sales using your till or point-of-sale system.
- Average sale: Divide revenue by transactions for the same period. This helps distinguish fewer purchases from a change in typical spend.
- Footfall: Count customer entries consistently. Visits are a proxy, not a substitute for sales or transactions.
City of Toronto retailer guidance recommends monitoring sales, revenue and traffic during construction (Construction Mitigation). The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) also describes retaining financial records and footfall counts before, during and after roadworks (Roadworks).
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How to set up a useful comparison
1. Establish a baseline
Export daily or weekly revenue and transaction records from your till or accounting system. Gather as much history as is readily available, prioritising comparable weekdays and seasons. Record opening hours, closures, major promotions and unusual events, since each can affect the comparison. If construction is already underway, use historical records to reconstruct the pre-work baseline and make clear that it is reconstructed.
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Business Queensland recommends maintaining business records and monitoring performance through major infrastructure work (Reducing business disruption from major infrastructure work).
2. Keep a dated access and work log
For each day or work phase, note what customers and staff encountered: road closures or diversions, footpath restrictions, parking changes, entrance visibility, signage, public-transport changes, delivery access and utility interruptions. Note noise or dust when it materially disrupts trading. Dated photos from consistent locations can help document access conditions.
These details matter because construction can affect access, parking, transport and visibility, not just traffic volume. Small Business Commission South Australia identifies these as business-impact considerations and recommends assessing foot traffic and business activity (Roadworks disruption). ACS also describes recording photos of restricted access.
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3. Count visits consistently
If feasible, count customer entries at the same hours on comparable days. Use an existing door-counting system, point-of-sale data where it reliably represents visits, or a manual tally counter. Record the method and the hours covered. Do not compare a few peak-hour observations with a full-day sales total.
4. Compare equivalent periods
Build a table from the records you have. Show the period, revenue, transactions, average sale, footfall, opening hours, access conditions and unusual events. Compare equivalent weekdays and, where possible, the same season in a prior year. Include both absolute figures and percentage changes, and state exactly which periods you compared.
| Period | Revenue | Transactions | Average sale | Footfall | Access and work conditions | Hours and unusual events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before work | Enter recorded value | Enter recorded value | Revenue ÷ transactions | Enter count and method | Describe conditions | Record hours and events |
| During work | Enter recorded value | Enter recorded value | Revenue ÷ transactions | Enter count and method | Describe conditions | Record hours and events |
| After work | Enter recorded value | Enter recorded value | Revenue ÷ transactions | Enter count and method | Describe conditions | Record hours and events |
If comparable figures are available from an unaffected location or a broader local trend, use them as context—not as a perfect control. Businesses can differ in customer base, trading hours, type and actual exposure to the work. Wyoming Department of Transportation’s 2004 report describes examining sales estimates alongside traffic volumes, business surveys and general economic trends (Highway Construction Related Business Impacts: Phase I Report).
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How to interpret the results without overstating them
A decline in visits and transactions that coincides with restricted access is consistent with roadwork contributing to lower sales. It is not proof that construction alone caused the decline. Consider other changes during the same period, including seasonality, weather, prices, staffing, stock availability, competition, marketing and local economic conditions.
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Do not apply a single loss rate from another project to your business. The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 2023 report found largely null overall results across several outcomes, while identifying negative construction sales effects in a subgroup of single-establishment businesses affected by infrastructure replacement (The Effects of Highway Improvement Projects on Nearby Business Activity). The findings illustrate why pooled averages may conceal differences between businesses and projects.
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What the reported 10% roadworks figure means
ACS reports that customer numbers and profits at Duffy’s Budgens in Ash Vale dropped by around 10% as a direct result of the works. This is the association’s account of one retailer’s experience; the date is not stated in the search result. It is not a representative estimate, a forecast for other businesses or a universal roadworks loss rate. The case also describes the retailer contacting the council and circulating vouchers.
What to keep if you need to explain the impact
- Dated sales and transaction exports, with the comparison periods identified.
- Footfall counts, including the counting method and hours covered.
- A work and access log, with dated photos where useful.
- Notes on opening hours, promotions, closures and other unusual factors.
- A short explanation of how the periods were matched and what other causes could have affected the figures.
Together, these records make a before-and-during comparison concrete and easier to discuss with a local authority or business-support organisation. They document an association between conditions and business results; they cannot, on their own, isolate roadwork as the sole cause.
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