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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Business
Nick Forbes

Warning Middle East conflict could worsen Scotland’s ‘costs crunch’

Scotland Inflation KPMG
Economists have warned of a ‘bumpy few months ahead’ for Scottish retailers (Andrew Milligan/PA) - (PA Archive)

The conflict in the Middle East could worsen the “costs crunch” affecting households and businesses, economists have warned, amid a “disappointing” February for Scottish retailers.

According to figures from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and KPMG, total sales in Scotland last month were flat compared with February 2025, when they had decreased by 0.4% on the year before.

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