Scottish footfall remains subdued
There is little sign Scottish shoppers are returning to retail destinations in the same numbers as pre-pandemic
Figures provided by the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and Sensormatic IQ data. show footfall for retailers is down 27.1% in July on the same month in 2019.
Scottish shopping centre footfall declined by 34.1% in July, while footfall in Glasgow was down 26.1% compared to the same month in 2019.
Ewan MacDonald-Russell, SRC head of policy and external affairs, said: “There is little sign Scottish shoppers are returning to retail destinations in the same numbers they did before the pandemic.
“Whilst July saw a small improvement in shopper visits to retail destinations on the previous month, footfall continues to be more than a quarter down on the equivalent month in 2019.”
He added: “With most Covid restrictions ending from August 9, retailers will hope there is a late summer surge to Scotland’s shops.”
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant at Sensormatic Solutions, added: “With July’s wet weather dampening shoppers’ spirits, high street footfall stayed subdued as consumers remained cautious.
“However, while footfall performance was flat compared to June, the trajectory in the second half of July gave cause for more cautious optimism; weekend shopper counts improved by 7% week-on-week following Freedom Day.”
