Scottish Retailers Face Crucial Weekend Amidst Stagnant Sales

An industry organization has issued a warning that Scottish retailers might face closure if the sales during the pre-Christmas weekend fail to deliver a necessary increase. The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) informed BBC Scotland News that a year characterized by “flat” sales makes this particular weekend “absolutely critical” for the future of the retail sector. Ewan MacDonald-Russell, the SRC’s deputy head, further noted that the upcoming year’s anticipated rise in operational costs for shops makes a prosperous festive season even more vital than in previous years. Large numbers of consumers were anticipated to visit city centers throughout Scotland over the entire weekend to purchase last-minute gifts. Mr. MacDonald-Russell stated that sales figures have mirrored those of 2023, with the exception of a short surge during the Black Friday shopping event in late November, when numerous retailers provided discounts. He commented: “Our hope is that shoppers have been holding back for Christmas. The nervousness we have is that if that doesn’t happen then retailers are facing huge costs next year, so really need a good Christmas to get through that.” He emphasized, “This is an absolutely critical weekend for high street shops.” Mr. MacDonald-Russell indicated that shops experienced a “difficult” year in 2024, marked by the failure of additional prominent high street businesses, including the fashion label Ted Baker. Retail sales last month saw a 2.3% decrease in real terms when compared to November 2023. He also projected that 2025 is anticipated to present even greater challenges for retailers. He stated: “We know costs are going up. The UK government budget has put around £7bn more costs onto retailers, including £190m by national insurance changes in Scotland. Those are huge burdens for retailers to find. If Christmas trading doesn’t deliver then there’s a real risk we will see more casualties on the high street in the New Year.” According to the SRC, electronics, health, and beauty gifts maintained strong sales performance. The SRC’s warning coincided with an appeal to the public to refrain from anger and from subjecting shop employees to physical or verbal abuse during the period leading up to Christmas. Both the SRC and various unions informed BBC Scotland News that instances of violence against staff have become more frequent. Tony Doonan, the Scottish regional secretary of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), commented: “There has been a rise in physical violence towards staff, as well as the verbal abuse they now face.” He added, “Coming up to Christmas, shop workers are working, not spending time with their families, so it can be a stressful time for them also. Shoppers should be mindful of how to speak to shop workers if they’re frustrated with a certain issue.” Mr. MacDonald-Russell asserted that no employee “deserves to go home on Christmas Eve having been shouted at in their work.” Data published earlier this year indicated that physical assaults on shop personnel had more than doubled compared to 2023. Furthermore, Mr. Doonan expressed his expectation that these figures would show another increase upon the release of new data in the spring. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.