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Shoppers return but store footfall well below pre-pandemic levels, data shows
All non-essential shops were allowed to reopen on April 26 (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Shoppers returned to the high street in April but footfall is still well below pre-pandemic levels, according to a retail body.
Figures recorded by the Scottish Retail Consortium and Sensormatic IQ show footfall to Scotland’s shops increased by 14.2% from March.
The Scottish Government relaxed coronavirus restrictions to expand the definition of non-essential retail at the beginning of April, and then allowed all stores to welcome back customers from April 26.
The statistics show large drops in comparison to the same period before the pandemic, with footfall down 52.1% in April compared to 2019.