THE Scottish Retail Consortium has called for additional government support for the sector to help combat a dramatic drop in customer footfall.
Data on shopper footfall from the SRC and SensormaticIQ reveal Scottish footfall plummeted in December.
Footfall data recorded a 25% decline on pre-pandemic figures for the week commencing 12 December.
David Lonsdale, director of the SRC, said the data “lays bare a significant and worrying further slump in shopper footfall.”
“If this further descent into the doldrums in shopper footfall persists then government must stand ready to support retailers with further financial aid, including revisiting the time-limited and capped rates relief announced in the Scottish Budget.
“As it stands, the rates relief will do little to help many retailers who continue to be battered by the fallout from the pandemic, especially the medium-sized and larger retail chains who underpin the vitality of our city centres and high streets and who employ the majority of retail workers.”
