Retailers eye ‘golden quarter’ as summer surge in visits to Scotland’s shops stalls
“The outlook for consumer spending is both the biggest opportunity and biggest unknown facing the economy” – David Lonsdale, SRC
Scotland’s retail recovery appears to have stalled last month, according to new figures showing a drop in footfall.
The latest data from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and Sensormatic reveal that overall footfall north of the Border decreased by 0.1 per cent in August, compared with the same month last year. Shopping centre footfall actually edged up, by 0.4 per cent, year on year, while retail park foot-traffic increased by 2.5 per cent, suggesting traditional high street shopping bore the brunt last month.
David Lonsdale, director of the SRC, said: “The summer surge in visits to Scotland’s shops stalled in August. That will come as a bit of a disappointment to retailers after three consecutive months of growth in shopper footfall.
“As attention begins to turn to the all-important golden quarter of trading - the lead up to Christmas - retailers will be looking at these figures a little nervously. Hopefully, the flatlining footfall figures are merely temporary.
“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. All of this comes as retailers themselves continue to shoulder a raft of extra tax and regulatory costs,” he added.
A geographic breakdown of the figures shows that footfall in Edinburgh nudged up by 0.6 per cent in August, while footfall in Glasgow lifted 0.3 per cent.
While high streets, shopping centres and retail parks are the main components of the total Footfall, there are also additional categories not included as separate indices. These include outlets, travel hubs and free-standing locations such as garden centres.
Andy Sumpter at Sensormatic said: “August saw Scottish retail footfall remain broadly stable, with total visits down just 0.1 per cent year-on-year. While this represents a step back from the growth seen over the previous three months, Scotland continues to outperform the wider UK and remains one of the more resilient retail markets across the home nations.
“Strong performances from both retail parks and retailers within shopping centres were particularly encouraging, demonstrating that consumers remain willing to visit retail destinations despite ongoing pressure on household budgets. Edinburgh also remained in growth, helping support Scotland’s overall performance.
“While consumer behaviour remains cautious, Scotland continues to hold firmer ground than many other parts of the UK as retailers look to convert footfall into meaningful spend during the crucial months ahead.”
Last month, SRC’s sales monitor for July showed that Scottish retail sales had hit a fresh three-year high as warm weather and last minute holiday shopping boosted store takings.
Total sales north of the Border jumped by 8 per cent in July, compared with July 2025, after being adjusted for the effects of inflation. The sales monitor covering August will be released later this month.
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