Edinburgh leads UK high street footfall as warm weather boosts shops
The Capital’s success helped drive an overall increase in Scottish footfall
Edinburgh has retained its position as the best-performing city in the UK for retail footfall, driven by a surge in visitor numbers and the arrival of warm weather.
The Capital’s success helped drive an overall increase in Scottish footfall, which rose by 0.4% in May, up from minus 5.2% in April, according to data from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC).
While Glasgow experienced a slight reduction in footfall, the trade association noted that the city still outperformed much of the rest of the UK.
Ewan MacDonald-Russell, deputy head of the SRC, said: “Scottish retail footfall just about stayed positive as the warm weather outweighed consumer concerns about the economy.
“Footfall overall was up by 0.4%, the best figures in the UK, as Scots enjoyed the eventual arrival of the sunshine.”
Despite Edinburgh's robust performance and the modest national growth, Mr MacDonald-Russell warned that retail challenges lie ahead.
“Whilst the figures might look sunny there remain significant clouds on the horizon,” he said.
“Consumer confidence remains depressed as a result of the costs accruing from international instability.
“The new Scottish Government will need to tread carefully with their policy interventions.”