Scottish retailers saw weaker footfall last month, figures show

The number of people visiting Scotland’s shops dropped last month, a retail body has found.

The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said the number of shoppers decreased by 0.3% in February compared to the same month of last year.

This is also a reduction from the 1% growth year-on-year in January.

The SRC said shopping centre footfall increased by 0.3% in February year-on-year, down from a 2.2% increase in January compared to the same month the previous year.

Retail park footfall increased by 1% in February compared to the previous year, down from a 5.7% year-on-year rise in January.

Meanwhile footfall in Edinburgh increased by 1.9%, but decreased in Glasgow by 1.1%.

Of a total of 13 UK areas, Scotland was in eighth place on the SRC’s growth rank tables.

Wales, North West England and London scored first, second and third places respectively.

East Midlands, South West England, and Yorkshire and the Humber were in 11th, 12th and 13th places.

David Lonsdale, director of the SRC, said: “Shopper footfall to Scotland’s retail destinations faded in February, nudging down by 0.3% compared to 2024.

“It was a weaker performance than January with store visits a little lower across all destinations.

“That said, growth in foot traffic to stores in retail parks, shopping centres and Edinburgh remained positive.

“The overall figures were hampered by a marked dip during the half-term school break.

“We await the publication of our sales monitor later this month to see what it all meant for actual retail sales, as time-poor consumers who are unable to get to the shops are often adept at using online channels to make purchases.

“Confident consumers and buoyant household disposable incomes are critical to the health of the retail industry and all who rely on it, including the quarter of a million Scots who work in the sector.

Industry experts said shopper footfall could in future be affected by rises in household bills. PA Media

“It remains to be seen what impact bumper rises in council tax and water bills, let alone geo-political tensions, may have going forward on shoppers’ propensity to spend.

“What is not in doubt is that higher household bills will take a bite out of consumer spending power at the very time jobs-rich, consumer-facing sectors are grappling with a host of additional government-mandated cost increases.”

Andy Sumpter, retail consultant for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Sensormatic Solutions, said: “After January’s jump-start, retail footfall in February stalled, with retailers seeing a slim decline compared to 2024 last month after many would have been hoping for a more substantial leap building off a strong start to the year.

“Retail parks, consistently one of the top performers in 2024, once again outstripped other retail destinations in February, as the convenience and choice built into their retail offerings again proved popular with customers.

“With Easter falling late and well into April this year, this will, undoubtedly, put added pressure on retailers as we head into March.

“To plug the gap, retailers have an opportunity to create compelling reasons to visit and enhance their offerings with greater convenience and choice, which have been the standout strengths of retail park performance.”