Scotland's struggling shops have been dealt a fresh blow today as figures reveal that the numbers of shoppers plunged in the run-up to Easter. Retailers reported a 12.6 per cent drop in footfall in the three months to the end of April, outstripping the 2 per cent fall posted for the UK as a whole.
Ian Shearer, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium said "...the essential picture remains of consumers lacking confidence, disposable incomes still being squeezed and fewer people shopping for anything that isn’t an immediate need."
Richard Dodd, a spokesman for the SRC, explained: "Scotland’s shops have been trailing behind the rest of the UK for quite some time now, about a year. Fundamentally, that’s because a bigger proportion of Scotland’s economy is dependant on the public sector. So public sector cuts – either real cuts or just the fear of them – have a much greater impact in Scotland.”
Property experts warned that the rapid growth in online shopping meant the days of big retail developments are over and fewer shopping centres will now be built.
Mark Robertson, a partner at property agency Ryden added this could also trigger a second crash for housebuilders, which are often reliant on shopping centres or retail parks for the building of infrastructure, such as roads, roundabouts, street lighting and sewage.
http://www.scotsman.com/business/high-streets-hit-as-cash-strapped-scots-shoppers-vote-with-their-feet-1-2307537
Ian Shearer, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium said "...the essential picture remains of consumers lacking confidence, disposable incomes still being squeezed and fewer people shopping for anything that isn’t an immediate need."
Richard Dodd, a spokesman for the SRC, explained: "Scotland’s shops have been trailing behind the rest of the UK for quite some time now, about a year. Fundamentally, that’s because a bigger proportion of Scotland’s economy is dependant on the public sector. So public sector cuts – either real cuts or just the fear of them – have a much greater impact in Scotland.”
Property experts warned that the rapid growth in online shopping meant the days of big retail developments are over and fewer shopping centres will now be built.
Mark Robertson, a partner at property agency Ryden added this could also trigger a second crash for housebuilders, which are often reliant on shopping centres or retail parks for the building of infrastructure, such as roads, roundabouts, street lighting and sewage.
http://www.scotsman.com/business/high-streets-hit-as-cash-strapped-scots-shoppers-vote-with-their-feet-1-2307537
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