One in six Scottish shops lying empty

A total of 16.4% of units were classed as vacant in Q3 2021, compared with 16.1% in the previous quarter, The Times reports.

The data was collected by the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and retail analytics specialist Local Data Company, which has been tracking the figures since 2016.

David Lonsdale, director of the SRC, said: “The turmoil wrought by the pandemic and associated lockdowns and restrictions and the impact on shopping destinations is laid bare in these figures.

“Permanent shop vacancies in Scotland escalated further over the past quarter, with one in six retail premises now lying empty and with the vacancy rate reaching a fresh six-year high.

“The substantial deterioration in the vacancy rate over the past year has affected all retail destinations, with the rise in empty units in shopping centres especially marked. Scotland’s shop vacancy rate has risen by a fifth this past year and remains above the UK average rate, and it’s far from certain that it has crested.”

He added: “This has been a singularly bruising period for many of Scotland’s retailers and large swathes of the sector face an uncertain future. Retail can play a massive role in the economic recovery. However, it needs continued support to do so.”