While shopping centre footfall saw a modest 0.3% rise and retail parks increased by 1.0%, both figures represented a slowdown from the previous month. Edinburgh bucked the trend with a 1.9% increase, while Glasgow saw a 1.1% decrease.

David Lonsdale, director of the SRC, attributed the overall decline to a “marked dip during the half-term school break”. He highlighted the continued positive growth in retail parks, shopping centres and Edinburgh, but cautioned about the impact of rising household bills and geopolitical tensions on consumer spending.

He continued: “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.

“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 EMEA for 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.”