GLASGOW has seen the largest number of shops close in Scotland, with 44 shutting their doors in the first six months of this year.

According to a new survey, the city saw 50 shops, banks and food outlets close in the same period last year, indicating the closures are slowing down.

Researchers and business leaders say the figures suggest high streets have seen the worst of the closures in recent years and insist Glasgow is still a thriving destination for shoppers.

Big names including BHS have closed while other companies have opted to shut one or more of their branches.

Sauchiehall Street has been particularly badly hit, with Dunnes and Greaves Sports closing, plus Clarks shoe shop, Ann Summers and Italian restaurant Dino's.

Experts at PwC research have studied what is happening in towns and cities across Britain and found shop closures in Scotland's are slowing considerably.

Mark Addley, head of restructuring for PwC in Scotland, said: "What we are seeing here is the continuation of a trend from the last few years - that of stores consolidating their high street offerings, going from two or three shops in a location to just one larger presence.

"While Scotland is showing the largest number of net closures, the number is considerably down on previous years suggesting the retail chains are through the worst of the pain.

"Having said that, online shopping is here to stay and that will continue to eat away at the high street's profits and presence.

"Businesses need to remain cautious. It is too early to see if there is a growth trend developing and while some may think there are small signs for optimism, we remain in a world of Brexit and interest rates starting to rise."

Work is already underway to tackle decline in the city centre with plans to lure shoppers by creating tree lined avenues in the city centre and the multi-million Candleriggs Quarter shopping and housing complex in the pipeline.

Kenny Wilson, office senior partner for PwC in Glasgow, said: "Glasgow is far from being abandoned by shoppers or retailers.

"If you walk down Buchanan Street or Sauchiehall Street it is clear to see Glaswegians and Scots are still hitting the shops.

"We have to look at the Glasgow figures as being the tail end of retailers closing down multiple units to concentrate on having just one unit - albeit with a larger footprint than the smaller units they used to have."

While some firms have been closing branches, across Scotland the number of tea and coffee merchants has increased by a third and there has been a rise of almost 17% in beauty salons.

Martin Little, Federation of Small Businesses chairman for Glasgow, said: "Everyone wants Glasgow's high streets to thrive therefore figures showing shops shutting - albeit at a slower rate than in the past - are not what we want to see.

"Glasgow's high streets haven't been helped by some high profile closures, like the failure of BHS.

"Plus, we have seen many institutions important for local footfall closing their doors, like banks, police stations and job centres.

"Further, while many independent shops also have a digital offering, every penny deposited online with big businesses can’t be spent in bricks-and-mortar stores.

“Across Scotland, independent businesses are fighting back - with fantastic customer service and smart initiatives like Business Improvement Districts – but they need support from government, the public sector and big business.

"We need to see a wider variety of organisations – large and small, private and public, retail and non-retail – choosing to locate in units that used to be reserved for shops. That way we create busy, prosperous places that people can be proud of.

"Readers of the Evening Times must vote with their feet if they want successful local high streets. That’s why we’d urge Glaswegians to shop local this Christmas.”

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, admitted the city centre was facing challenges in certain street and called for action to improve Sauchiehall Street's pedestrian area and for action on the level of rents and rates.

He said: "Performance on Buchanan Street remains robust with reassuring footfall and lettings figures.

"We can’t be complacent and must continue to ensure the investment pipeline remains strong. There are many positive signs such as planning permission requests and expressions of interest.

“The attraction of new retail and leisure brands into the city is also essential and there have been some successes such as Monki, Vapiano, Taco Bell, Tim Horton and Smashburger.

“Long-term trends in consumer behaviour and the impact of online shopping continue to play a role, something which retailers are actively working to complement through their offline offering.

A city council spokesman said the city centre continues to be the number one shopping destination in the UK outside of London and major retailers are investing in recognition of that.

He added: "Glasgow is very often the first UK or Scottish city to welcome retailers and food outlets from Canada, the USA and further afield, representing the real confidence such firms have in us.

"We are reacting to the ongoing changes in the retail market to ensure Glasgow remains a fantastic place not only for shopping but to visit for a whole host of reasons."