GENERAL MERCHANDISE NEWS
Scottish retail sales fall in November
12 December, 2012 | by Retail Bulletin
Retailers in Scotland hoping for strong pre-Christmas sales have been disappointed as new figures reveal that Scottish retail sales declined by 1.2% in November compared to the same week last year.
Taking into account shop price inflation, sales were down 2.7% in real terms.
The figures released by the Scottish Retail Consortium and KPMG also showed that like-like for like sales declined by 2.2% in the month.
The SRC described the figures as “underwhelming” and blamed the fall on shoppers waiting for promotions and discounts before buying. In addition, the cold and wet weather in the month led to clothing and footwear posting its worst performance since January.
Total food sales were 2.6% up on November 2011 when they had risen by 0.9%. In real terms, food sales were down 2.0%, a worsening from October.
Total non-food sales fell by 4.7% on a year earlier when they had declined by 3.3%. In real terms, non-food sales were down 4.4%, a slight improvement from October.
SRC director Fiona Moriarty said: “These underwhelming figures, which scarcely improve on October, mark the closing stages of what has been a challenging year for retailers in Scotland.
“Consumer confidence is stronger but this has yet to kick-start sales growth.
“While there’s not much cause for cheer in November’s figures, retailers have been reporting increased sales in recent weeks, suggesting that the public mood is shifting as the festive season approaches.”
“With Christmas falling on a Tuesday this year, many may sense that having a full shopping weekend two days before Christmas gives them more time to round off their buying.
“Retailers will be hoping that, in the end, these factors translate into a merry Christmas.”
David McCorquodale, head of retail for KPMG added: “For retailers, the next two weeks are critical for margins and cash flows and they will not want to be left at the end of the year holding unwanted stock. To discount, or not to discount before Christmas, is the real question.”
