Shopper Numbers Increase By 1.6%

The latest retail figures show a rise in footfall in December. Shopper numbers in Scotland increased 1.6% last month compared with the previous year, resulting in a sixth consecutive month of growth.

The figures were published in the monthly Scottish Retail Consortium/Springboard Footfall Monitor.

South of the border only east and south east England saw a greater increase, with the UK reporting an overall decline of 0.7% compared to 2013.

SRC director David Lonsdale said: Buoyed by Christmas and by retailers' promotional and pricing efforts, this was a very creditable end to the year for footfall in Scotland.

The growth in shopper numbers accelerated once again, with Scotland recording the third highest rise in footfall across ten different parts of the UK.

The steady growth in footfall in Scotland's high streets and retail destinations is encouraging, albeit the challenge for retailers as ever is to turn browsing into buying.

In 2015 policy makers can further assist our town centres by making parking more affordable and accessible and by bringing down the cost of operating commercial premises.''

Diane Wehrle, retail insights director at Springboard, said: ''Scotland continues to consolidate its positive position in terms of footfall.

However, if it has a weakness then it is that this positive change is driven wholly by high streets and retail parks, with a 2.1% drop in shopping centre footfall in December the largest decrease of any part of the UK.''