Retail sales grew 0.8% in March

In the evaluation of Cristiano Santos, manager of the Monthly Survey of Commerce (PMC), the moment of this growth was due to its negative variations.

“This growth is the third point in a row with non-negative variations in the margin. The passage from December 2022 to January 2023 registered 3.9% growth and the passage from January to February represented stability”, he says.

In March, four out of eight retail trade activities had negative rates. Fuels and lubricants 0.1%, fabrics, clothing and footwear 4.5%, books, newspapers, magazines and stationery 0.6% and other articles for personal and domestic use 2.2%, all in the negative field.

Three activities had growth: equipment and material for office, information technology and communication 7.7%, pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery 0.7% and furniture and household appliances with 0.3%. Extended retail trade, Construction material changed by 0.2%, while Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories grew by 3.7%.

Economist Roberto Kanter, professor of MBAs at FGV, specialist in Retail, says that the scenario for the coming months should not be very good for the sector.

“I think we’re going to have a weak year in 2023, we’re going to have an occasional growth in GDP and retail will eventually grow, but it won’t be significant. We should grow globally around 1 to 2% “, she points out.

Trade advances 3.2% compared to March 2022

Retail trade showed an increase of 3.2% in March 2023, fuels and lubricants 14.3%, pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery 6.8%, Hiper, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco 4.5%, office, IT and communication equipment and supplies 4.1% and furniture and household appliances 2.0%.

Three sectors showed a decrease in the interannual comparison, such as: other articles for personal and domestic use with 12.9%, books, newspapers, magazines and stationery with 8.0% and Fabrics, clothing and footwear with 7.3%.