Growth in the number of people hitting the shops in Scotland outstripped the UK average in May as shoppers took advantage of two long weekends to visit big box retailers.
In May, shopper numbers in Scotland were 0.6% higher than a year ago, albeit they were down from the “giddy” 5.2% rise in April, according to the Scottish Retail Consortium/Springboard Retail Footfall Monitor.
The number compares to a 0.2% fall in shoppers across the UK, particularly in the Midlands and Wales.
But shoppers were more inclined to visit retail parks in Scotland, where footfall rose strongly at 9.4%, while rain kept them from the high street which suffered a 3.1% fall in May.
Diane Wehrle, Retail Insights Director at Springboard, said: “A 9.4% increase in footfall in retail parks in Scotland in May makes the 3.3% increase across the UK look very modest. However, in contrast to the drop in high street footfall of 0.9% across the UK, high streets in Scotland performed poorly once again with a drop in footfall of 3.1% in May. And whilst the rain had an adverse impact on high streets, it benefited shopping centres as footfall increased by 0.4% compared with a drop of 1.5% across the UK.”
Meanwhile, a survey of local convenience store owners has shown that sales in the convenience sector are stabilising, and optimism is at its highest level in two years thanks to sporting events.
The Voice of Local Shops survey undertaken by trade body, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), found that only three in 10 show owners reported a decrease in sales compared to this time last year, the lowest level since May 2012.
ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “The wider economic recovery being experienced over the last six months has filtered down to convenience, giving retailers more confidence about the coming year. We hope events like the World Cup and Wimbledon will fuel growing levels of optimism and lead to a profitable period for retailers across the country.”