Scottish retail sales in February delivered their best performance for three months, mainly because of non-food purchases.
Total sales north of the Border rose by 0.2% after adjustments for falling prices, according to the British Retail Consortium-Neilsen Shop Price Index.
Unadjusted total Scottish sales decreased by 1.4% compared with February last year, when they had decreased by 1.0%.
Like-for-like sales decreased by 2.3%, but the adjustment for deflation turned the situation around to a 0.2% rise, the best growth since November.
Food sales were 2.6% down on January 2014, and non-food sales were 0.5% down on the previous year.
Adjusted for the effect of online sales, total non-food sales increased by 0.5%, the best performance since November last year.
David Martin, head of policy at the Scottish Retail Consortium, said February was a month of two halves.
Clothing and footwear performed well. Valentine’s Day sales helped.
Food sales continued to struggle, and he said retailers will be looking for the Budget to make it easier for them to invest and boost the spending power of households, particularly for those on lower incomes.
