As the good weather stays with us, retailers are expecting to see a rise in footfall and shoppers.

While new research is examining how pedestrian traffic has responded to changes in sunshine, rainfall and temperature over the last decade.

The project, by property company Savills, reveals that sunshine has the strongest positive impact.

It says a 1% increase in average hours of sunshine brings about a 0.14% increase in footfall on Dublin's Henry Street, and a 0.10% increase on O'Connell Street.

However, this appears to be more pronounced on the northside of the capital - as it also suggests the relationship between sunshine and footfall on Grafton Street is "not statistically significant".

Unsurprisingly, rainfall has the opposite effect on traffic. The report says a 1% increase in average monthly rain is associated with a 0.03% drop in Henry Street footfall.

Savills estimates that pedestrian movements on Henry Street have averaged around 1.3m per month this year - at that rate, a 1% increase in average sunshine hours would bring an additional 18,000 people onto the street.