SRC calls for high streets to be protected in Holyrood manifestos

Five-point plan to make high streets more desirable for retailers to invest

Monday 15^th September 2025 

This morning the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has published the first of three mini-manifestos ahead of next year's Scottish Parliamentary Election. 

This first paper, ‘Scotland's Future High Streets', focuses on the challenges facing towns and city centres across the country and the policy solutions the retail industry believes are necessary.  The current challenge is acute. SRC research shows:

• In the last year Scottish retail sales only grew by an average of 0.3 percent over the past year, with non-food sales only up by 0.7 percent.
• Between July 2024 until July 2025 shopper footfall to retail destinations in Scotland fell by 0.9 percent on average. Visits to shopping centres also fell by 0.9 percent.
• Government-imposed costs of operating retail stores in Scotland increased by nearly £200 million in 2025, as a result of increases in business rates and employers' national insurance.
• 2,380 shops in Scotland pay a higher business rate than the equivalent English stores.

The consequence of this is the retail industry is currently retrenching its high street offering. If politicians wish to protect our remaining high streets and make them desirable locations for retailers to invest then the SRC is recommending a 5-point plan:

• A renewed push to make Scottish High Streets competitive to invest in through a meaningfully more competitive business rate than England.
• A drive to make new and refitted stores simpler through an improved planning and building warrants system.
• A clear focus on combatting retail crime through increased investment in Police Scotland and introducing a directly elected Scottish Police & Crime Commissioner to replace the current Scottish Police Authority.
• A commitment to improve local authority support for the industry including compensating Local Authorities who use existing powers under the Community Empowerment Act to offer NDR relief for high street businesses and to explore creating a Greater Glasgow Local Authority with a directly elected Provost to drive growth in Scotland's largest city.
• A renewed push to improve transport infrastructure for private and public transport to make town and city centres more accessible.

Commenting on the launch of the Mini-Manifesto, David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said:

“This five-year Parliamentary session has presented the Scottish retail industry with a series of almost overwhelming challenges. From starting in the midst of Covid lockdowns and restrictions to the supply chain disruption that followed the pandemic and the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine to the ongoing economic funk; the first half of this decade has been severely difficult for the industry.

“Retailers have had to adapt to this new economic norm. That means fewer stores operating from fewer locations with decisions made even more on the return on investment. There has been a complete shift with almost all retailers of scale now operating online. Consumer behaviour has also changed, with shoppers more and more willing to go out-of-town or online as opposed to shopping in store, with greater emphasis on value and purchases of pre-loved items.

“That is the stark reality and backdrop to which policymakers must turn if Scotland's remaining retail high streets are to thrive. The next Scottish Government needs to put town and city centres and retail destinations at the heart of economic decision making. That should include reducing the cost of business, making it easier to visit and to invest in the high street, and ensuring it's safe for shoppers and consumers.

“Scotland still has some wonderful, vibrant, diverse high streets which are enjoyed by consumers and deliver for retailers. By adopting our recommendations we believe those high streets can thrive in the second half of this decade and beyond.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

• The Mini-Manifesto can be found here: https://brchttps://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/5tbXCrgL3FlAMjhysJt45s3E?domain=org.uksrc-high-streets-manifesto-2025.pdf

• The SRC's sales and footfall average figures within the Manifesto are from July 2024 – July 2025. The most recent sales figures are quoted in this release