Brazil: Decline in retail sales softens in January
Retail sales slid 0.2% in month-on-month seasonally-adjusted terms in January, as softer fall than December’s 6.2% decrease. Looking at the details of the release, textiles, clothing and footwear sales decreased at a more moderate rate compared to the previous month, while other articles for household and personal use sales rebounded. Meanwhile, supermarkets, food, drinks and tobacco sales contracted at a faster pace in January, while furniture and appliances sales dipped at a steeper pace than in the previous month.
On an annual basis, retail sales fell 0.3% in January (December: +1.3% yoy), marking the worst result since May 2020. Moreover, the trend pointed down, with the annual average growth of retail sales coming in at plus 1.1%, down from December’s 1.2% reading.