Total Food sales in Scotland increased by 3% year-on-year in February, when they had increased by 13.3%, new data reveals.
The latest SRC-KPMG Scottish Retail Sales Monitor shows total sales in Scotland increased by 1.4% year-on-year, when they had grown by 9%.
Scottish sales increased by 0.7% on a like-for-like basis compared with February 2023, when they had increased by 6.6%.
David Lonsdale, Director, Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “February brought more discomfort for hard-pressed Scottish shopkeepers as total retail sales growth during the month fell further to its lowest level in two and a half years. When adjusting for shop price inflation it was the eighth successive month of declining real terms growth.
“There were some bright spots. Some retailers benefited from purchases associated with St Valentine’s Day, buoyed by sales of cosmetics, fragrances, and chocolates. Grocery sales got a bump too from St Valentine’s Day as people marked the occasion at home rather than spend more going out to eat.
“This underwhelming headline figures reflect a continuing weakness in consumer demand, the dip in shopper footfall, and the easing in shop price inflation which previously flattered sales values.”
