Retail sales in Scotland decreased by more than a quarter compared to the same time last year, a new report has revealed.
The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), in conjunction with KPMG, has revealed the following points:
- In January, Scottish sales decreased by 25.2% on a like-for-like basis compared with January 2020, when they had decreased by 0.6%*. This is below the 3-month average decrease of 16.7% and the 12-month average decrease of 13.4%.
- Total sales in Scotland decreased by 27.9% compared with January 2020, when they had increased by 0.9%*. This was below the 3m average decline of 18.1% and the 12m average decline of 15.3%. Adjusted for deflation, the decrease was 25.7%.
- Total Food sales increased 4.3% versus January 2020, when they had increased by 2.2%*. January was above the 3-month and 12-month average growth of 4.0%. The 3-month average was below the UK level of 7.9%, while the 12-month average was below the UK’s levels of 6.1%.
- Total Non-Food sales decreased by 54.8% in January compared to January 2020, when they had decreased by 0.2%*. This was below the 3-month average decline of 36.7% and the 12-month average decline of 31.3%
- Adjusted for the estimated effect of Online sales, Total Non-Food sales decreased by 26.4% in January versus January 2020, when they had increased by 1.8%*. This is below the 3-month average decline of 16.4% and the 12-month average decline of 16.8%. Those are lower than the UK’s 3m average decline of 5.6% and 12m Total average decline of 5.8% respectively.
Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Head of Policy & External Affairs, Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “January’s Scottish sales figures show shops remain trapped in the depths of a dark and dismal winter. Spending plunged as shops were forced to shutter shops and, in many cases, discontinue click and collect services. The figures were the worst monthly performance since April and the worst ever January results and lengthened the run of failing sales figures to twelve successive months.
“There was little positive to report, with the only significant growth in food sales, albeit in the context of no competition from eating out as a result of the closed down hospitality trade. Conversely there was bad news across non-food stores, with physical non-food retail seeing sales fall by half. Furniture retailers were feeling the pain after missing out on a key season; and other retailers continue to have to contend with immense logistical pressures as the lack of notice and ever-shifting regulations put exceptional pressure on operational models.”