Retail sales figures for June show Scottish retailers are bridging a gap between Scotland and the UK overall. A 6.2% year on year rise in the Scottish Sales Monitor means Scotland was just 1.6% down on the 7.8% reported for the UK. Scottish Retail Consortium director Patrick Browne said: "June was another strong month for Scottish retail sales, with the good like-for-like figure (4.6%) showing a narrowing of performance between Scottish and UK retail sectors." The Scottish drinks market was particularly buoyant, with the slacking off of FMD and good weather contributing to increased turnover. {{NEWS }}