21/05/2009 - Scotland retail sales see 8.2% rise
Retail sales in Scotland rose 8.2% year-on-year in April boosted by warm weather and a late Easter, new figures show.
Sales of food and drink were at their highest since December and clothing sales were pushed up by shoppers looking for summer options, according to the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC).
Its figures showed that like-for-like sales, which discount shop expansion or new stores, increased by 4.3% during the month when compared with last year.
The consortium said that overall sales in Scotland outperformed the UK as a whole, but stressed that the weather and the holiday season had to be taken into account when assessing the increase.
SRC director Fiona Moriarty said: "These are strong figures but it's too soon to say we've turned the corner.
"It's hard to make a simple comparison with last year when Easter, which usually helps sales, was in March and the weather was poor.
She said clothing sales were boosted by the fact that Scotland had seen its third warmest summer since 1914 and added that pricier items like furniture and homeware saw poor sales amid the weak housing and jobs market.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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