Shopper footfall across Scotland rebounded slightly in August after a marked decline the previous month, but industry leaders have warned that the sector remains in a fragile state.

The Scottish Retail Consortium is calling on the First Minister to avoid any further measures that will pile additional pressure on household finances following a "modest" 0.7% increase in footfall compared to the same period a year earlier. That compares to July's decrease of 2.3%.

Edinburgh led the way in again in August with a 2.6% annual rise in the number of shoppers. Glasgow fell by 0.6%, though this was an improvement from previous months.

The average for the UK as a whole was a decline of 0.4%. 

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David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said the figures could have been even higher were it not for people avoiding some city centre locations at the start of the month amid concern that riots in other parts of the UK could spread.

“Edinburgh was again the top performing UK city in the survey, growing for a third consecutive month aided by tourists and the city’s phenomenal festivals," he said. "Glasgow and shopping centres also fared better than of late."

It is hoped that the resumption of growth in shopper footfall will be reflected in the retail sales data for August, but Mr Lonsdale said the challenges for shops and retail destinations are "far" from over.

"Falling shop prices and growing real wages have yet to translate into sustained improvements in foot traffic or retail sales, as elevated mortgage rates and higher taxes continue to chisel away at household disposable incomes," he said. "The timing of the removal of the peak train fare discount will do little to help.

“The retail industry is asking policy makers – including the First Minister in his programme for government next week – to shun anything that adds to the pressures on household finances and for action to stem the remorseless rise in government-inspired costs affecting shops.”

Northern Ireland experienced the strongest growth of all the UK nations and regions with an increase of 1.4% in August, followed by London at 0.8%. The north-west of England and Scotland were the only others in positive territory.

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Yorkshire and the Humber suffered the biggest decrease, down by 2.2%, followed by Wales down 1.8%.

Andy Sumpter, retail consultant for Sensormatic Solutions, noted that shopper traffic in Scotland is now at its highest since September 2023.

"With all destination types improving on July’s visitor numbers, retailers will be hoping that the resilience seen in August, with footfall returning a positive year-on-year performance for the second time in just three months, will lead to longer-term growth for store traffic," he added.