Scottish retailers strongest growth in two years

The strongest sales growth in over two years has been reported by Scottish retailers.

Food sales were up by 4% on June of last year. Picture: PA

Sales in the month of June were up 2.8% on last year, according to figures released by the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC).

The SRC have said that the improvement was down to a combination of a rise in consumer confidence, and the impact of warmer weather.

According to the figures, food sales were up by 4% on June of last year, with non-food revenues rising by 1.8%.

SRC director Fiona Moriarty said: “It’s really positive to see that the tentative boost in May gathered strong momentum in June, propelling Scottish sales growth to a level almost in line with the rest of the UK and its highest since April 2011.

“Warmer weather and a steady rise in consumer confidence are key factors behind this encouraging improvement.”

Mrs Moriarty also commented on the performance of both food and non-food catergories.

“Growth was comfortably above inflation and higher than the UK average, suggesting that sunshine and cautious optimism about the economy put many of us in the mood to stock up on seasonal, barbeque and celebratory food.

“Non-food also saw a major improvement, reflecting that Scottish shoppers are still responding well to targeted promotions, whilst also catching up on updating their wardrobes for summer after putting off purchases during the prolonged cold snap in spring.”