Budget gloom has led to a bleak Black Friday for Scottish footfall, but there’s “still time to make Christmas count”, according to Sensormatic Solutions.
Scottish footfall dropped by 0.3% in November (YoY), down from 0.1% in October, according to the latest SRC-Sensormatic data, covering the four weeks from 2-29 November.
During this period, footfall in Edinburgh remained unchanged at 0% (YoY), while footfall in Glasgow decreased by 1.6%.
Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Deputy Head of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said:
“Budget uncertainty seems to have deterred shoppers from Scotland’s high streets in November; as footfall to retail destinations fell for the seventh successive month. Despite significant discounting around Black Friday there was little cheer for retailers as nervousness about the economy and wet weather meant town and city centres were marginally quieter than last year’s rather weak figures.
“There was little good news amongst the detail – with even Edinburgh only matching last year’s performance. Elsewhere retail parks saw a small fall and Glasgow city centre continues to struggle to attract shoppers.
“There is little doubt the prolonged phoney war ahead of the Budget has discouraged early Christmas shopping. With the Chancellor’s statement now delivered, retailers will hope shoppers will feel emboldened to commit to festive purchases in the final month of the golden trading quarter. Nonetheless, those businesses will be looking enviously at their English competitors who received a substantial business rates discount in the Budget – and will hope Scottish Ministers will at least match that discount in their own Budget in early 2026.”
Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, said:
“November saw footfall in Scotland dip -0.3% year-on-year, a much softer decline than the UK average and a sign of relative resilience. Black Friday week, however, failed to spark momentum, down -4.9%, as early discounting and economic uncertainty kept shoppers cautious. Overall, Shopping Centres managed a marginal +0.1% uplift, while Retail Parks slipped -0.8%.
“Yet the golden quarter isn’t over, and opportunity remains. With four of our predicted Top Five shopping days still ahead, December could deliver the boost retailers need. A last-minute rush may top off the year, turning caution into celebration. With the right mix of value, convenience, and experience, there’s still time to make December count.”
MONTHLY TOTAL SCOTTISH RETAIL FOOTFALL (% CHANGE YoY)
Source: SRC-Sensormatic
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY NATION AND REGION
| GROWTH RANK | NATION AND REGION | Nov-25 | Oct-25 |
| 1 | Northern Ireland | 2.7% | -0.2% |
| 2 | South West England | 1.3% | 0.6% |
| 3 | London | 0.8% | 0.1% |
| 4 | South East England | -0.2% | -2.5% |
| 5 | Scotland | -0.3% | -0.1% |
| 6 | Wales | -0.4% | 0.6% |
| 7 | England | -1.0% | -0.9% |
| 8 | North West England | -1.3% | -0.6% |
| 9 | Yorkshire and the Humber | -2.1% | -0.9% |
| 10 | East of England | -2.3% | -1.8% |
| 11 | East Midlands | -2.6% | -2.1% |
| 12 | West Midlands | -3.2% | -2.0% |
| 13 | North East England | -5.0% | 0.7% |
Source: SRC-Sensormatic
