Scots retail sales in spring dip

Retail sales in Scotland trailed the performance in the rest of the UK over the past year, new figures show.

The overall value of goods sold by Scottish retailers fell by 0.6% between April and June compared with a 0.3% decline in the UK as a whole.

Over the year, spending in Scotland rose by 2.4% compared with British retail growth of 3.2%.

The volume of retail in Scotland sales fell by 0.3% during the quarter, the offical government figures showed.

This contrasts with 0.1% growth in volume, the average amount of goods traded at basic prices, across the UK during the same period.

Despite the recent falls, the Scottish government said the trend was upwards.

Finance Secretary John Swinney said the government was doing what it could to be the "most supportive business environment in the UK".

CBI Scotland's assistant director David Lonsdale, said: "Weak consumer confidence and uncertainty over the economic outlook are putting a brake on consumer spending across the retail sector."