Scotland has been on a high this summer after Andy Murray smashed his way to victory and won Wimbledon. But that is not the only thing that Scotland has to smile about as the glorious sunshine, which even reached The Highlands, boosted high street sales across the country.
In July sales were up by 4 per cent, when compared to the same time last year, which outperformed England, Wales and Northern Ireland. People stocked up on summer products such as beer, ice cream, barbeque items, soft drinks and ice cubes – with food sales seeing a rise of 5.6 per cent higher than 2012.
Speaking of the feel good news, Fiona Moriarty, Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) Director, said: “A double whammy of feel-good factors pushed Scottish sales growth into record-breaking territory in July.
“Sunshine and sporting successes boosted the public mood and willingness to spend further after a promising pick-up in June. This helped to deliver an excellent showing which tops the UK total for the first time since March 2011.”
But with the excitement of Andy Murray’s win at Wimbledon 2013 starting to fade and the weather looking more drab than fab is this the end of summer shopping and should we be wary? David McCorquodale, head of retail at KPMG thinks so.
He said: “July was without doubt a good month on the Scottish high street and, like the weather, was welcome and overdue. It is with cautious optimism that I look forward to the rest of the year.”
Do you think you have had your last barbeque for this year already or will it be making one last appearance?
