Growth in retail sales

4th February 2012

The Scottish retail sector grew in the fourth quarter of 2011 and outperformed the sector in Great Britain over the year according to figures released today by Scotland's Chief Statistician.

The figures show that the volume of retail sales in Scotland grew by 0.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and by 0.7 per cent annually. The volume of Retail Sales in Great Britain grew by 0.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and by 0.3 per cent annually.

The value of retail sales in Scotland grew by 0.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and by 3.5 per cent annually. The value of Retail Sales in Great Britain grew by 1.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and by 3.4 per cent annually.

Finance Secretary John Swinney said:"These official figures, which cover the festive period, show that retail sales in Scotland increased over both the year and the quarter.

"The Scottish sector is outperforming Great Britain according to the annual statistics, and this underlines the importance of the measures we are taking to enhance economic and consumer confidence in the face of difficult trading conditions.

"We have a no compulsory redundancy policy for staff within our responsibility, and we are delivering on our commitment to a 'social wage'. Measures such as the council tax freeze, free prescriptions, no tuition fees, and the Living Wage for low earners are helping to protect household incomes in tough times.

"And Scotland offers businesses the most generous package of reliefs anywhere in the UK, worth more than 500 million pounds in this financial year. Two out of every five commercial premises in Scotland now benefit from tax breaks through the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which delivers no rates or low rates for Scotland's small business sector.

"However, the UK Government has to do more to support the fragile recovery. We have long argued for an alternative 'Plan MacB' approach, which needs to focus on three key areas: boosting capital investment; improving access to finance and measures to support consumer confidence.

"The Scottish Government believes that full financial powers and independence best serves Scotland's prosperity, growth and jobs. And only with access to all the levers of economic growth can we maximise Scotland's potential."