Economy and rain deal twin blow to retailers

SHOPPER numbers in Scotland have slumped by 12.6% in the three months to April, significantly worse than the UK as a whole, which suffered a 2% drop in footfall compared to last year.

April was a particularly hard month for Scottish retailers as figures showed footfall was down by 19.1%, representing the UK’S biggest monthly drop.

Over the past three months Scotland was also the hardest hit in the UK, with footfall down by 12.6% compared to the same period last year, followed by the east of England, which had a 8.9% drop and Greater London with 8.2%.

Ian Shearer, Scottish Retail Consortium director, said: “Some of that has been about one-off seasonal and weather factors, but the essential picture remains of consumers lacking confidence and disposable incomes being squeezed.”

Across the UK, the high street suffered more than shopping centres and outof-town retail outlets. The average footfall between February and April was down by 6.4 % year-on-year on the high street compared to a decline of 0.8% in shopping centres and an increase of 1.2% at out-of-town shops.

Diane Wehrle, research director at Springboard, which monitors footfall, said: “Proof that rain was a leading factor can be seen from the fact that enclosed shopping centres were the only environment that saw positive footfall figures during April’s downpours. Out-of-town – where particular outlets tend to be the focus for shoppers, helping to make them weather resistant – saw a rise in footfall across the quarter.”