Scots hit the shops at last but will late dash save Christmas on the High Street?
EDINBURGH GLASGOW ABERDEEN
Scots went on a £ 200m spending spree yesterday as stores hoped last-minute shopping could save their Christmas.
The main shopping streets were jam-packed as were the big out of town malls, including the Fort, Braehead and Silverburn in Glasgow, as well as the Gyle and Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh were also very busy.
Across the UK 10.1 million Christmas shoppers spent £ 1.41bn over the weekend, according to a Centre for Retail Research study, after briefings with 80 major UK retailers and 1,000 shoppers. This weekend is crucial for retailers hit by online shopping which accounts for a fifth of consumer spending.
Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium David Lonsdale admits it has been a difficult year but there has been a modest uplift more recently.
Mr Lonsdale said: “With the fog of Brexit and po l i t ica l and economic uncertainty per haps l i fting, we are cautiously optimistic for retail sales in the final days before Christmas and the start of the Boxing Day and January sales.
“This weekend is likely to be especially busy with gift- related shopping, with the focus on Monday and Christmas Eve more about purchases of food and drink for the festive period.” Mr Lonsdale said he expects Scotland’s retailers to report a slight increase in spending when official trading figures are released in January.
He added: “We estimate the Scots retail spend to be around £ 200m today, a smidgen up on last year.” Dav id Lyon , marketing manager at the huge Braehead mall, near Paisley, said there were queues to get in.
He said: “C h r i s t m a s shoppers were waiting for our doors to open at 9am.” Paul Martin, UK head of retail at KPMG, said retailers make the majority of their annual profits in the run up to Christmas, and he’s h o p e f ul sho p p e r s w h o have been putting off big purchases will part with their cash this weekend.
He said: “Thankfully the bout of political uncertainty is now seemingly behind us post-election, albeit Brexit is yet to be executed.
“This may well result in a resurgence of consumer confidence for the time being, which in turn will e n c o u ra g e shoppers to finally make the purchases that they may have been putting off in recent months.
“Our high streets will also see some more action in the coming days, as even online delivery can prove risky against the ticking clock – physical retail still has the advantage of immediate fulfilment.”
The Scottish Chambers of Commerce said shops are slashing prices earlier than ever, meaning many shoppers will bag a bargain this weekend.
Chief Executive Liz Cameron said: “Sales that used to start on Boxing Day are now in full swing from November.”
Rupert Walker, head of brand for website Love the Sales, added: “Since December 18, we’ve seen prices start to come down.
“The deals are better now than they were on Black Friday.”
Leigh Sparkes, a Professor of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling, said a shift to online shopping has hit high street retailers hard. Professor Sparkes said: “The internet now represents 20% of retail sales, which is hitting existing retailers. “The consequence is retailers always seem to be on sale. That takes a bit of the gloss off for retailers and consumers.
“There will be an upturn in sales this weekend if retailers have bought well but it will be variable by retailers. It’s not quite the same spike we used to see.”