SRC makes plea after poor Scottish footfall and retail sales figures
THE Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) is calling for UK and Scottish budgets that help shoppers amid the economic challenges facing consumers and retailers.
The plea came after disappointing footfall and sales figures for August, according to the trade body’s data.
This showed Scottish footfall fell by 0.1% year on year, down from growth of 2.7% in July. Edinburgh saw a modest increase of 0.6%, while Glasgow was up 0.3% year on year.
Meanwhile, total sales in Scotland for the same four weeks from 2 to 29 August decreased 0.2% compared with the same time last year, when they had risen 1.1%. Total food sales were also down 0.2%.
David Lonsdale, SRC director, highlighted how grocery sales had grown by just 0.4% on average during each of the past 12 months and said government initiatives impacting on retail, including extra tax and regulatory costs, were a worry.
He said: “The upcoming UK and Scottish budgets will test whether policymakers are paying attention to the travails of the retail industry, which continues to grapple with elevated commodity and statutory cost pressures.
“Both upcoming fiscal statements should be unabashed budgets for shoppers, which help retailers keep down prices and which aid the rejuvenation of shopping destinations.”
Lonsdale said retailers would be nervous about the August figures as attention turned to the all-important golden quarter and the lead-up to Christmas.
The SRC director continued: “The outlook for consumer spending is both the biggest opportunity and biggest unknown facing the economy. Buoyant disposable incomes and confident consumers are critical to the health of Scotland’s retailers.
“However, shoppers’ propensity to spend is being challenged by rising household energy bills and near double-digit increases in council tax and water bills.”
