Scottish retail 'worst on record' sales

November retail sales in Scotland fell at their fastest rate since

the Scottish Retail Consortium began compiling the sales figures 12 years ago.

The Scottish Retail Consortium said total sales in November were 1.3% down on November 2010, when they had increased 3.4%. Like-for-like sales were 2.1% lower than a year ago, the worst since August and the sixth decline in the past seven months.

Despite widespread promotions, non-food sales suffered their largest year-on-year decline, on a total sales basis, since May 2009. Clothing and footwear sales were hit by underlying uncertainty about jobs and incomes, as well as by the mild weather, and consumer caution continued to hit big-ticket homewares and furniture purchases most.

Ian Shearer, Scottish Retail Consortium director, said: "Retailers in Scotland have had an exceptionally tough year, worse than the UK as a whole. Consumer confidence is currently lower in Scotland than the UK average and householders are more worried about jobs and the state of their personal finances. Mild weather continuing into November added to the woes of clothing and footwear retailers who struggled to sell winter ranges, and seems to have led people to begin their seasonal shopping later than a year ago."

David McCorquodale, Head of Retail in Scotland, KPMG, added: "The further decline in both total sales and like-for-like sales shows once more that the health of Scottish retailing is deteriorating. Christmas is a crucial trading period for the retail sector but this year many retailers will be nervous and unsure as to how the season will pan out. It was hoped that cash-strapped consumers might look to spread the cost of Christmas over a period of two to three months, but the sales figures do not reflect that.”