Retail chains closed an average of one shop per day in cities and town centres during the first eight months of the year, according to new figures.
A total of 188 stores closed in the first six months of 2012, but the situation is said to have accelerated in July and August when a further 65 shops closed their doors.
The figures, compiled by the Local Data Company on behalf of financial services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), show that while 175 stores opened during the eight-month period, there was an overall net loss of 78 high street shops.
Glasgow lost the largest amount of outlets, with 105 closing and only 47 opening, giving a total fall of 58, compared to Edinburgh which had a net loss of two. It was followed by Dundee, which had a net loss of nine shops, and Paisley, which lost six overall.
Both Aberdeen and Ayr gained two; with nine stores closed in Ayr and 11 opened, and 22 shops closed in Aberdeen with 24 opening.
Shops selling computer games, toys, clothes, gifts, jewellery, furniture and cards are said to have been the hardest hit so far this year, while pawnbrokers, charity shops, bookmakers, coffee shops, discount and convenience stores and cheque cashing outlets bucked the trend. There was a 0.9% fall in sales during August, on top of a 0.7% decline in July, PwC said.
Bruce Cartwright, head of business recovery at PwC in Scotland, said: "Despite the promise of an Olympic feel-good boost for retailers, it appears the vagrancies of the British climate combined with rising inflation, a squeeze on consumer spending, and dented consumer confidence leading more people to look for the best deal online, have not delivered the much hoped for gold.
"Store-dependent high street retailers continue to experience a drop in sales and reduced footfall and for those in distress, this could be exacerbated by simply having too many locations.
"The insolvencies of Game, Peacocks and Clintons demonstrated this in spades. The next six months will be no less challenging for retailers and with the Christmas season fast approaching, they will undoubtedly be hoping to see a flurry of customers in the final quarter.
"But the fear is that consumers will continue to remain cautious as they ponder the largely unknown impact of the continued and deepening euro crisis on the UK and the prospect of rising food and fuel bills.
