Scotland’s independent convenience stores are achieving better value sales growth than the rest of the UK, according to the latest data from TWC.

The analytics firm’s figures for the year ending 30 July show a 4.6% sales increase in value for independent retailers in Scotland.

Crisps and snacks saw a sales rise of 21.4% year-on-year in Scottish independent shops, while sales of newspapers and magazines fell by 23.41%.

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While the strongest performance was in the crisps and snacks, chilled saw an 18.5% rise, and confectionery (+15.2%) and soft drinks (+10.9%) fared well too.

The category with the highest share was found to be tobacco (29.53%), but this declined in sales by -2.5%. News and magazines saw the largest drop in sales performance in the past year, and holds a share of only 0.28%.

Tom Fender, development director at TWC, said the independent retail sector in Scotland is “robust”, and there is room for optimism as the rate of inflation falls and consumer confidence rises.

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