Scottish consumers are continuing to increase their spending much faster than shoppers elsewhere in the UK but are shunning non-essentials, according to data released today.
Figures compiled by the Scottish Retail Consortium and the University of Edinburgh show that total sales value for February 2008 jumped by 7.1% on the same month last year. That was down, however, from the 8.1% growth seen in January of the current year.
Total sales for the UK as a whole grew by only 1.5% in February, down from the 2.6% growth seen in January and well below the Scottish figures.
Despite the slight dip from January, February's Scottish sales came in much higher than those for October, November and December 2007.
Meanwhile, February's like-for-like sales for Scotland were 2.5% higher than in the same month in 2007, when they had risen by 4.1%.
Fiona Moriarty, director of the SRC, said the sales data were not terrible but added that Scottish consumers are starting to see their household budgets squeezed by tougher economic conditions. Some mortgages have gone up and council tax is higher while wage increases have been muted.
She said: "These figures are up on the last three months of 2007, so they are not a disaster but they are not great.
"After Christmas and the New Year sales, it's clear Scottish customers are largely spent-up. Some retailers received a modest boost from sales of flowers and presents for Valentine's Day and Mothering Sunday but weak performances in clothing, furniture and homewares show people have little left for non-essentials."
She went on to say that consumers are "extremely price-conscious" and shopkeepers that offer value to their customers are doing best.
Sales of food and non-food items slowed in February after rising in the previous month. January's sales were boosted by heavy discounting.
Clothing and footwear had a difficult month in February and extended discounts from January failed to persuade shoppers to buy more.
Sales of furniture and floor covering slowed as the uplift from January's clearance sales faded.
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