Scottish retail sales trailing UK

However, that compared with a sales rise of 2.1 per cent for the UK as a whole, the Office For National Statistics said.

Over the last year, the volume of sales in Scotland has increased by 0.5 per cent, with their value rising by 2.4 per cent.

Meanwhile, across Britain the quantity of sales rose by 2.8 per cent over the last 12 months while the amount these were worth was up 5.1 per cent, the ONS reported.

Among the other findings from the Scottish government data, were suggestions that in-store spending was being skewed towards larger retailers, while the amount being bought declined for those employing fewer than 250 people.

Commenting on the figures, Ewan MacDonald-Russell, SRC head of policy, said: “Scottish retail sales continue to show low but sustained growth in 2018. This rise in the value of retail sales is a valuable counterpoint to some of the gloom surrounding the industry – retail continues to play a part in growing Scotland’s economy.

“Nonetheless, it’s disappointing retail sales were only marginally higher than the first quarter of 2018; a period which saw very wintry weather. Furthermore, it’s crucial to recognise that the UK as a whole outperformed Scotland over this period, a trend which has been evident for some time now.

“The reality is retailers are under enormous pressure right now from a combination of a sluggish Scottish economy, increased costs for consumers, and the ever-increasing burden of government policy. In particular; when Scottish sales are trailing the rest of the UK, it seems unreasonable the Scottish Government hasn’t accelerated the timetable for returning the Large Business Supplement to parity with the UK. That combination of a higher business rate for larger properties combined with lower sales makes running a profitable high street store ever more difficult. If the Government want to help retailers at a challenging time of transition, that’s the obvious place to start.”