Sales of Brazilian commerce, one of the mainstays of the country’s economy, rose 0.8 percent last March compared to the previous month, leaving “stability” to take growth, the state-run Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) said today.
The entity reported that retail trade grew 1.5 percent in the quarterly moving average and 3.2 percent with respect to March 2022, as well as 2.4 percent this year and 1.2 percent in 12 months.
IBGE pointed out that the positive result in the first quarter is highly focused on some activities, such as computer equipment and pharmaceutical items.
However, the stability of the supermarket segment also contributed.
In March of this year, three of the eight activities analyzed had an increase in sales, led by equipment and material for office, computing, and communication (7.7 percent); pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, and perfumery items (0.7 percent); and furniture and household appliances (0.3 percent).
The activity of supermarkets, food products, beverages, and tobacco remained stable, according to the Monthly Trade Survey released by IBGE.
Fabrics, clothing, and footwear led the decreases in turn with a 4.5 percent drop; other personal and household goods with a 2.2 percent decrease; and books, newspapers, magazines, and stationery with a 0.6 percent decrease.
Retail trade is one of the mainstays of the Brazilian economy, expanding 1 percent in 2022, the lowest result since 2016, when the sector’s sales fell 6.2 percent.
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