Scottish retail destinations recorded a 2.7% annual increase in footfall during July, making Scotland the strongest-performing UK nation over the period.
The latest Scottish Retail Consortium-Sensormatic data, covering the four weeks from 5 July to 1 August 2026, shows growth accelerating from 1.7% in June.
Shopping centres delivered the strongest performance by location type, with visitor numbers rising by 3.6% year-on-year following growth of just 0.5% the previous month.
Retail parks recorded a 3.1% annual increase, although this was considerably below the 10.8% rise reported in June.
EDINBURGH LEADS CITY GROWTH
Edinburgh continued to outperform, recording a 5.7% increase in footfall compared with July 2025. Glasgow registered more modest growth of 0.5%.
The Commonwealth Games, school summer holidays and international tourism are credited with supporting activity, while Scotland also avoided some of the exceptionally hot conditions experienced farther south.
Ewan MacDonald-Russell (main picture, inset), Deputy Head of the Scottish Retail Consortium, says: “The Commonwealth Games, the start of summer holiday season, and an influx of international visitors helped encourage increased footfall to Scotland’s retail destinations in July with a rise of 2.7%.
“Scotland was the top performing nation in the UK last month as cooler weather made shopping more bearable than further south.
“Shopping centres and retail parks both saw over three per cent in growth across the period, whilst Edinburgh continues to lead the way across the UK with strong footfall from visitors to the city centre.”
FIVE MONTHS OUTPERFORM 2025
Five of the first seven months of 2026 have now recorded higher footfall than their corresponding periods last year, suggesting greater resilience despite continuing pressure on consumer spending.
Andy Sumpter, Head of Consulting and Analytics for EMEA at Sensormatic, says: “Strong performances from both Shopping Centres and Retail Parks were particularly encouraging, demonstrating that consumers remain willing to visit retail destinations when conditions are favourable.
“Edinburgh led the way, with footfall rising 5.7%, helping drive Scotland’s overall performance and reinforcing the city’s position as one of the UK’s strongest retail destinations.”
MacDonald-Russell adds that retailers will now hope stronger visitor numbers translate into sales following what he describes as a summer recovery from a challenging start to the year.
