Scottish retail sales outstrip UK performance

Retail sales in Scotland have outstripped the UK's performance over the past year, according to official figures.

The Retail Sales Index showed the value of sales grew by 3.3%, while the UK figure stood at 2.9%.

The value of Scottish sales also grew by 0.8% in the second quarter, which was 0.2% more than the UK figure.

However, sales volumes grew at the same pace in Scotland and the UK, rising by just 0.2% over the quarter.

The Retail Sales Index surveyed about 700 businesses across the Scottish retail sector.

The index is published by the Scottish government.

A recent survey suggested that there was no change in the value of retail sales in Scotland in June, compared with a year ago.

The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said there was zero growth for the month, which was a slight improvement on the fall of 1.1% in May.