The decline signals a 4.8% decrease from May. This is below the UK average decline of 27.6% (Yo2Y). This meant Scotland saw the steepest decline in footfall out of all UK nations.

The monitor also revealed that shopping centre footfall declined by 34.1% in June (Yo2Y) in Scotland, down from -33.0% in May.

In June, footfall in Glasgow decreased by 30.3% (Yo2Y), a 7.2 percentage point decline from May.

Ewan MacDonald-Russell, head of policy & external affairs, SRC, said: “The recovery in shopper footfall stalled in June in the second full month since shops fully reopened with total footfall falling back by nearly 5 percent compared to the previous month. This was very different from the story elsewhere in the UK, potentially driven by the pause in relaxing covid restrictions north of the border.

“That reverse meant visits to retail destinations were nearly a third lower than the comparable period in 2019. Shopping centres continue to struggle to attract shoppers, with footfall more than a third below the 2019 figure.

“These figures illustrate just how far the retail industry is from recovering from the covid crisis. Whilst stores can trade, the restrictions on hospitality and office working continue to impact on visits to the high street. Operating stores itself remains challenging with capacity limits due to caps on the number of customers due to physical distancing rules.

“There is a growing need for policy makers to consider how best to reignite consumer confidence. Retailers will continue to work to attract customers but could be aided through clear messaging to encourage visits to town centres, short term initiatives to allow free parking, or even a retail voucher scheme to encourage shoppers back to the high street as is planned in Northern Ireland.”

Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, commented: “The UK’s footfall in June was mildly better than what we saw in May. This small uplift in footfall (only seen in England and Wales) was perhaps unsurprising given that COVID rules were, by and large, the same. Whilst confidence from the vaccination program and some indoor dining might have given a much-needed boost, the delayed rollback of restrictions, due to the accelerated spread of the delta variant will have dampened the impact.

“With most restrictions expected to be lifted on the 19th of July, we can finally hope to see what the somewhat over-referenced new normal may actually look like. As more people start to venture back to their offices, the much-missed commuter business will be a welcome return. Retailers will also be hoping their customers have missed browsing without restrictions, as much as they have missed their customers.”