Scottish retailers report rise in shopper numbers
Scottish retailers have reported a healthy increase in the number of people hitting the shops.
The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said footfall in August was 1.8% higher than the same period last year.
The figure was in sharp contrast with the UK as a whole, which saw shopper numbers fall by 1.1%.
The latest SRC/Springboard monitor found that out-of-town locations north of the border were the biggest draw, with a 4.1% rise in footfall.
Numbers were also up on the high streets and in shopping centres.
Northern Ireland was the only area to record a larger percentage increase than Scotland, with a rise of 4.2%.
Most of the rest of the UK saw footfall figures slip.
Retail experts described the latest Scottish data as "extremely positive".
SRC director David Lonsdale said: "This is a further favourable set of results.
"For the second month in a row the number of shoppers visiting Scotland's high streets and shopping centres is above the level witnessed during the same period last year.
"Footfall has risen for four of the last five months, though this doesn't always necessarily translate into increased levels of actual sales."