Retailers in Scotland welcomed a 5.1% YoY increase in footfall in January, up from -1.5% in December, according to Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC)-Sensormatic data for the four weeks 04-31 Jan 2026.
Shopping Centre footfall increased by 4.9% in January (YoY), up from -1.5% in December, while Retail Park footfall increased by 5.3% in January (YoY), up from -0.8% in December.
In January, footfall in Edinburgh increased by 5.5% (YoY), while footfall in Glasgow increased by 4.8%.
Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Deputy Head of the SRC, said:
“Retailers saw strong footfall figures in January with the best performance since last April. A 5.1 per cent increase was driven by the comparison with 2025 when much of the country was closed due to Storm Eowyn; but nonetheless is a fillip for shops after a disappointing festive period and the strongest performance across the four home nations.
“Edinburgh and Glasgow also featured at the top of the national table with strong footfall growth.
“After a disappointing 2025 retailers will hope this presages a sustained return to retail destinations from shoppers. Scotland’s High Streets have had a very difficult few years and sustained footfall will help to make the case for further investment. So all eyes will turn to February where hopefully brighter weather will encourage customers back to town and city centres.”
Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, says:
“January delivered a strong start for Scotland. While this positive result was helped by softer comparatives – with Storm Eowyn severely disrupting shopper activity during the same period last year – it still marks the strongest performance in the UK.
“Scotland avoided the weather related disruption seen elsewhere this month, allowing visits to recover more cleanly and helping it outperform both England and Wales, with only Northern Ireland also posting growth.
“January shows a welcome uplift. As retailers continue to focus on value, experience and convenience, Scotland’s early year uplift provides a solid platform, and after a challenging spell of eight months of negative footfall, some may feel this is the month when footfall finally found firmer ground.”
