Scottish retailers experienced a “troubling” fall in sales last month, according to a report published today.
The Scottish Retail Consortium – KPMG retail sales monitor shows sales at Scottish shops fell by 3.1% on a like-for-like basis compared with June last year.
Ewan MacDonald Russell, head of policy and external affairs at Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “Another difficult month for retailers as sales struggle to match the heights of last summer.
“A real-terms fall of 2.2% is very troubling for the industry at a time of year when consumers should be feeling more optimistic.
“However, all the evidence shows consumers are restricting their discretionary spending, only targeting products they require right now.”
Non-food sales fell by 4.8% compared to 12 months ago, with food sales showing a year-on-year increase of 0.8%.
Mr MacDonald Russell added: “Food sales showed a real-terms fall this month once inflation is stripped out.
“There is also evidence consumer trends are very different this year, with shoppers swapping frozen and barbecue food for more warming alternatives.
“Non-food also saw this phenomenon, with home products outperforming last year at the expense of outdoor goods.
“Fashion sales continue to be quite poor, however, with retailers reporting even discounted products under-performing expectations.”
rmclaren@thecourier.co.uk