The ShopperTrak data found that footfall deteriorated by 8.5 percentage points from October. However, this remains above the UK average decline of 65.4%.

The SRC also found that year on year footfall in Glasgow decreased by 49.0% in November, a further 13.0 percentage point drop from October.

On a more positive note, after Northern Ireland, Scotland saw the shallowest Shopping Centre footfall decline of all regions, with -38.9%. Weekly footfall has steadily declined over the last four weeks, with a sharp drop in the final week of the month following eleven local authorities moving into local lockdowns on 20th November.

David Lonsdale, director, Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “Shopper footfall in Scotland plunged last month as Covid restrictions and concerns over the economy exerted their toll. Visits to retail destinations were down by two-fifths on the comparable period last year, the weakest monthly performance since July.

“Our largest city and retail destination, Glasgow, fared even worse, with shopper numbers at a paltry half the level of last year.

“The decline affected all retail destinations and became more pronounced as the month wore on, as the government’s footfall-crushing local lockdowns came into effect. This shuttered shops in many parts of Scotland for a second time this year.”

He added: “Those stores forcibly closed have lost out on the best part of £3 billion of revenues so far this year, after what has truly been an annus horribilis for retail. With local lockdowns set to end and shops in these areas permitted to re-open from 11 December, policy makers need to think more creatively about how they can reignite consumer confidence and entice people back to shopping.

“This could be through free parking or a retail voucher scheme like Northern Ireland is implementing to help stores and high streets through the leaner winter months in the early part of the new year.”