Scotland leads the way with strong July footfall
Covering the four weeks 05 July – 01 August 2026
According to SRC-Sensormatic data:
- Scottish footfall increased by 2.7% in July (YoY), up from 1.7% in June.
- Shopping Centre footfall increased by 3.6% in July (YoY), up from 0.5% in June.
- Retail Park footfall increased by 3.1% in July (YoY), down from 10.8% in June.
- In July, footfall in Edinburgh increased by 5.7% (YoY), while footfall in Glasgow increased by 0.5%.
Ewan MacDonald-Russell, deputy head of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “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 3% in growth across the period, whilst Edinburgh continues to lead the way across the UK with strong footfall from visitors to the city centre.
“Retailers will hope the increased footfall will translate into strong sales. So far this has been a summer of recovery after a challenging start to the year. The industry will hope the new administrations in both Westminster and Holyrood do nothing to derail this when both return after the summer recess.”
Andy Sumpter, head of consulting & analytics – EMEA for Sensormatic, said: “July delivered a positive result for Scottish retail, with footfall up +2.7% year-on-year, making it the strongest performing of the devolved nations. Unlike much of the UK, Scotland avoided the exceptionally hot and dry conditions seen further south, helping support shopper activity throughout the month. 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. More broadly, five of the first seven months of 2026 have outperformed the same period last year, suggesting a degree of resilience despite the wider challenges facing retail. While consumer behaviour remains cautious, July’s result provides further evidence that Scotland is continuing to hold firmer ground than many other parts of the UK as retailers look to convert footfall into meaningful spend.”
MONTHLY TOTAL SCOTTISH RETAIL FOOTFALL (% CHANGE YoY)
UK FOOTFALL BY LOCATION (% CHANGE YoY)
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY NATION AND REGION