Scottish retailers report "another difficult month"

The month of June has turned out to be "another difficult month" for Scottish retailers in a climate of increasing economic and political uncertainty, according to a report.

The SRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor registered a 2.3% drop from one year to the other of total sales.

Food sales increased 0.8%, but sales of non – food products were down 4.8% from the same period last year.

Retailers said it was obvious that consumers "restricted" their discretionary spending.

The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said that in the non-food category, sales of fashion clothing remained "fairly mediocre", with retailers even reporting that discounted products were "underperforming".

"Reduced confidence"

CBC policy chief Ewan MacDonald Russell said there has been a "clear trend" in recent months to slowing consumer spending.

He said: "The CBC remains concerned about the high political and economic volatility, as well as the prospect of additional costs resulting from government policy, which discourage consumption.

"The endless stagnation and stagnation of Brexit is resulting in a loss of confidence among retailers and consumers, which can only reduce overall growth."

Paul Martin, head of retail sales at KPMG, said: "The latest figures provide further evidence that growing economic and political uncertainty is weighing heavily on the major streets of Scotland.

"While non-food product sales have fallen victim to the biggest drop, food retailers are far from immune to harsh market conditions, with another stable performance."