According to new figures from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and Sensormatic IQ Footfall Monitor, shopping centre footfall declined by 20.7% in August (Yo3Y) in Scotland, a weakening on the decline of 19.2% in July.

At the same time, footfall in Glasgow decreased by 11.6% (Yo3Y), 2.0 percentage points better than July

David Lonsdale, director, SRC, said: ““August saw a slightly more upbeat set of figures for visits to stores in Scotland and the best performance for four months, with concerns about galloping household energy bills not enough to keep Scots away. Buoyed by the return of holidaying, social occasions and tourism, the modest improvement in shopper footfall was felt across most retail destinations and especially in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Shopping centres however continued to struggle.

“Despite the improvement, visits to stores remain well down on pre-pandemic levels and Scotland continued to lag the twelve other parts of the UK surveyed for a fourth month in a row. That’s worrying given inflationary headwinds and the likely impact on consumer sentiment and spending power, more so in the lead up to what is traditionally the crucial golden trading quarter for the industry in the final months of the year.

“Next week will see the election of the new Prime Minister and the unveiling of the First Minister’s programme for government. Early action is needed from both to protect living standards, assist retailers to keep down shop prices, and help retail destinations rebound. After all, much of our wider economy is ultimately dependent on what happens to consumer spending.”

Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, added: ““Despite the heatwave and the ongoing train strikes cooling shopper numbers for periods during the month, August footfall on the whole remained resilient with performance improving against pre-pandemic levels compared to July, boosted in part by August staycations and rising tourist numbers returning.

“However, whilst the outlook for August remained cheery, retailers will be looking ahead to the Autumn – and retail’s Golden Quarter of Christmas trading - with an air of caution as the cost-of-living crisis continues to play out, and they await to see what packages of support will be offered to consumers the ease the burden on household budgets once the new PM is announced next week.”