Covid: Shops 'hammered' by level four restrictions

The Scottish Retail Consortium says many shops were hit hard by the level four restrictions

Scottish retail sales plummeted in November as shops were "hammered" by level four Covid restrictions, according to an industry body.

Figures from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) showed total sales fell year-on-year by 10.2% last month.

Food sales were up by 4.8% - the highest growth since March, when stockpiling inflated the figures.

But the non-food category slumped by 22.8%, with clothing, footwear and beauty all continuing to struggle.

Non-essential shops across much of western Scotland, including Glasgow, were forced to close for three weeks until December 11 after level four restrictions - the country's toughest lockdown rules - were introduced.

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SRC head of policy Ewan MacDonald-Russell said the struggle faced by many non-food stores during the traditional golden shopping period of the year was of "enormous concern".

However, he pointed out that "it wasn't all bad news".

"Food sales accelerated for the third consecutive month, benefiting from the continuing lack of competition from closed hospitality businesses and the launch of festive ranges," he said.

"It's also clear shoppers have looked to start Christmas shopping early where possible.

"Christmas decorations saw record sales as customers look to offset bleak lockdowns with light and colour along with chocolate and cosmetic advent calendars.

"We also saw signs customers were buying festive gifts early, albeit where necessary from grocery and digital retailers, as physical shops were closed across 11 local authorities."

'Fight for survival'

KPMG's UK head of retail, Paul Martin, said the November data reflected "the near-daily fight for survival" facing many of Scotland's retailers.

He added: "To some extent, we're witnessing a tale of two halves, with food sales continuing to perform relatively well, buoyed by the news that families can meet for Christmas, and the closure of hospitality venues, which appears to have created a short wave of stockpiling.

"However, with non-food takings slumping to a decline of more than 22%, it's clear the industry is far from any sign of recovery.

"Naturally, a vaccination rollout programme should slowly deliver a return to some form of normality in 2021, but it could be years before Scotland's retail sector returns to stability and growth."