Retail sales raise fear of recession

SCOTLAND recorded far weaker year-on-year growth in retail sales value in June than the UK as a whole – its 15th consecutive month of underperformance on this measure.

The poor sales growth, revealed today in the Scottish Retail Consortium's (SRC's) latest survey, raises further concerns over the health of the economy north of the Border at a time of broader UK recession.

A spokeswoman for the SRC highlighted the greater proportion of public sector employment in Scotland than in the UK as a whole as a factor in the consistently poorer retail sales figures north of the Border. She also highlighted the relative strength of the south-east of England.

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