Scottish food sales increased by 11.5% year-on-year in December, new data reveals.
The latest SRC-KPMG Scottish Retail Sales Monitor shows that December’s performance was below the three-month average growth of 11.6% and above the 12-month average growth of 5.2%. In addition, the three-month average was above the UK level of 7.9%.
David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “After two miserable years Scotland’s retailers were finally able to toast sparkling Christmas sales as 2022 finished with a flourish. December’s retail sales shone compared to recent months and the comparable month the year before as shoppers returned to spending and took advantage of the first Christmas in three years without pandemic-era curbs or instructions to shun socialising.”
He added: “These are unalloyed positive results for December, providing a final flourish to an otherwise tepid 2022 and a difficult two years for Scotland’s retailers. Retail is far from being out of the woods yet. It’s an industry in transition with retailers navigating their own costs crunch, cash-conscious consumers, and the twin challenges of the economic legacy of Covid and inflationary pressures. With the spotlight turning to the year ahead the fact is many of these headwinds remain, requiring policymakers to show dexterity towards keeping a tight lid on the regulatory costs under their control.”
Total sales in Scotland increased by 11.3% compared with December 2021, when they had grown 15.6%. This was above the three-month average increase of 8.7% and below the 12-month average growth of 16.0%.
Scottish sales increased by 4.6% on a like-for-like basis compared with December 2021, when they had increased by 13.4%. This is below the three-month average increase of 4.7% and the 12-month average growth of 12.1%.
