Glasgow's City Centre sales rising rapidly
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By Katie Clayton
Retail sales across the city are bucking the downward trend overall, specifically food and drinks outlets. Shopping hotspots such as ~Buchanan Galleries, St Enoch’s and Princess Square in Glasgow are enjoying a welcome increase in spending.
Food and drink have seen sales increase on last year's figures, going up by 10.5% and 18.2% (respectively) in 2025.
The entire retail sector in Glasgow had to close its doors like all retailers during Covid 19. Now five years later, the city is once again able to maintain its position as the United Kingdom’s largest shopping destination outside of London.
The resilience of retail in Glasgow has been demonstrated countless times, with hundreds of big brands opening shops in the city, including UNIQLO opening their doors in Glasgow just this month. And Anthropologie opens its first Glasgow branch this weekend in Princes Square.
Alessandro Dudech, Chief Operating Officer at UNIQLO UK said: “The brand will be collaborating with creatives and organisations that reflect the spirit and energy of the city.”
Figures have been continuously rising since the shops re opened in 2021. Retail sales went up by 9.4% in August 2025 compared to August 2024. This meant Glasgow outperformed the rest of the UK significantly as the average retail sales fell overall by 4.8%.
From the start of this year, sales have increased by 2.2% in Glasgow, while they dropped in other cities such as Edinburgh (-1.8%) and Manchester (-3.3%).
Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said this was a new era for the city and highlighted Glasgow's strong reputation in retail.