Period covered: September 17Published: October 18, 2017Read time: 1min

Scottish Retail Sales Monitor

Autumn Harvest for Food as Scottish Sales climb

Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Head of Policy and External Affairs, Scottish Retail Consortium:

“A bumper month for grocers as strong food sales helped overall Scottish retail sales grow by 1.2 per cent in real terms. Food sales of 5.0 per cent have pushed the 12-month average up to the highest level since December 2013.

 “Clothing sales were also comparatively quite strong, leading to the second best growth of Non-Food sales this year. The continued growth of online Non-Food sales was enough to offset a two per cent fall in stores. However, there is no evidence nervous shoppers are committing to larger purchases; indicating that consumer confidence remains at best fragile.

“The evidence that rising inflation continues to soak up a large proportion of household earnings; which should provide politicians considering imposing costs on consumers with serious food for thought.”

Craig Cavin, Head of Retail in Scotland, KPMG:

“Total retail sales in Scotland increased by a reasonable 1.1 per cent in September, albeit buoyed by a sustained uplift in food sales. On a 12-month basis, Food sales growth is now standing at 2.7 per cent - the highest since December 2013. Price inflation undoubtedly continues to be a key driver of this growth.

“Clothing was a big winner in September, with mid-season discounts on autumn ranges tempting consumers to restock their wardrobes. The change in season also positively influenced health and beauty sales, with both high-end and essential cosmetics brands seeing growth following seasonal promotions.

“Smaller home improvement goods performed well over September, as Scottish consumers fine-tuned their homes in preparation for winter. Growth was also reported in mobile technology, accessories and gaming, with the latest smartphones and major computer games providing a welcome boost to sales in September.”