High streets across Scotland are struggling after a dismal December saw shoppers stay at home due to the threat of the Omicron variant.
Figures compiled by the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) show that footfall was down 22.8 per cent across the country last month compared to the same period in 2019.
Glasgow saw a decline in footfall of 21.8 per cent in December compared to two years ago - the third worst drop in the UK behind London and Nottingham.
It comes after the Scottish Government urged the public to stay at home as much as possible in December due to the discovery of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Shops were also told they must reintroduce measures to avoid crowding around entrances and exits.
Retailers are now calling on SNP ministers to offer increased financial support if the decline in footfall continues this winter.
David Lonsdale, director of the SRC, said: "Shopper footfall in Scotland plummeted last month during what would traditionally be the busiest time of the year.
"Government instructions to work from home and socialise less, coupled with the reintroduction of physical distancing in stores, exerted a heavy toll.
"Visits to shops in December were down almost a quarter on the comparable period prior to the pandemic, plunging for a second successive month.
"December saw the weakest monthly figures for store visits since July and the biggest deterioration since June.
"Scottish footfall once again languished behind every other part of the UK other than London.
"It rounded off a profoundly worrying golden quarter for Scottish shopkeepers - many of whom traditionally need strong pre-Christmas trading in order to tide them over the fallow winter months.
"It heralds an unnerving start to the new year for many retailers.
"Scottish ministers must stand ready to support the retail industry further if these conditions are set to persist."
Liz Smith, the Scottish Conservatives economy spokeswoman, said: "Scotland’s retail sector is continuing to be severely impacted by the effects of the Covid pandemic.
"Restrictions and guidance from the SNP Government in the run up to Christmas deprived shops of a much needed boost.
"With the drop in footfall in Scotland continuing to be the worst in the United Kingdom, retailers urgently need a shot in the arm from the SNP Government.
"Kate Forbes’s draft budget simply doesn’t go far enough in accelerating their recovery. The Scottish Conservatives will continue to urge the SNP to pass on 75 per cent rates relief for the sector for the whole of next year.
"The SNP have a record budget at their disposal from the UK Government and it is critical that this is passed on to businesses urgently."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We are all too aware of the impact that COVID-19 has had – and continues to have – on business and the Scottish economy. That is why, to date, we have spent almost half a billion pounds more in support of businesses than the funding we received from the UK Government for that purpose.
“Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have benefited from more than £4.4 billion in support from the Scottish Government. Covid non-domestic rates reliefs have saved businesses, including in the retail sector, around £1.6 billion since 1 April 2020.
“We have announced a £375m support package for businesses and have had to make difficult decisions to target funding to sectors most immediately impacted by the updated public health guidance.
"Decisions on the allocation of the remaining funds will be confirmed following further analysis and consultation with affected sectors on how it can best be targeted.
"We have been the only government in the UK to offer 100% COVID-19 rates relief for the past two years without any cap and we are preventing a cliff edge return to full liability for businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors on 31 March 2022, by continuing relief at 50% for the first three months of 2022-23."
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
