Scottish Retail Consortium appoints new chair

Retail trade association The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has named Karen Scott, chief executive officer of the Scottish Midland Co-operative Society (Scotmid), as its new chair.

Scott has more than 38 years of experience in the retail industry and becomes the second female chair of the retail association, succeeding Debbie Harding, who has served as SRC chair since 2024.

With retail being Scotland’s largest private sector employer with 228,000 colleagues, the role of SRC’s chair is an important one to “champion the retail industry and enhance its prospects for growth”.

Commenting on her new role, Scott said in a statement: Scotland’s retail industry makes an enormous economic and social contribution, and its presence is felt in communities across the country.

“Retail is an imaginative and resilient industry which is responding positively to evolving market conditions and customer demand. However, this remains a testing time for the industry. Global factors and ever-increasing demands from policymakers are impacting operating costs, which has implications in terms of future employment, the vitality of our town and city centres, and the overall health of the sector.

“With all that in mind, I am looking forward to supporting and building on the excellent work that Debbie oversaw. The SRC is at the forefront of bringing retail’s story to policymakers, encouraging a more coherent approach to help the industry address its challenges. I look forward to helping ensure the sector continues to have a strong voice.”

David Lonsdale, director at the SRC, added: “I’m thrilled Karen has agreed to take on the role of SRC Chair. She is an outstanding industry leader and will bring those skills to support the work of the SRC in advocating on behalf of its members and the customers they serve.”