Scottish footfall increased by 14.5% year-on-year in February, 2.3 percentage points better than January, and also better than the UK average of 10.4%.
The latest Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and Sensormatic IQ data showed that shopping centre footfall increased by 41.8% in February, 5.4 percentage points better than January.
Also last month, footfall in Edinburgh increased by 27.8%, while Glasgow increased by 16.7%.
Compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels, total Scottish footfall was 11.1% lower however, with shopping centres footfall at 16.5%. Footfall in Edinburgh was down by 5.1% and Glasgow by 8.2%.
SRC director David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said that while Scotland one of the best performing parts of the UK, the figures were flattered by the weak comparable period 12 months ago, when Scottish stores still operated under numerous Covid-era rules.
“All retail destinations benefitted from the uplift in foot-traffic last month, with the year-on-year improvement especially marked in shopping centres which suffered greatly during the pandemic.
“That said, footfall remains 11% down on pre-pandemic levels and its recovery remains protracted.”
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant for Sensormatic Solutions, commented: “While the fluctuations between footfall are now less volatile, creating a new baseline against which to benchmark high street performance, it doesn’t mean the footfall recovery has yet fully turned a corner.
“Looking ahead, delivering value - whether that’s through ranging or by giving shoppers compelling reasons to visit stores - will remain central to turning the tide on footfall performance.”
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