In December, the volume of retail sales fell 2.6% in comparison to November, seasonally adjusted.
Compared to December 2021, in the non-seasonally adjusted series, there was an increase of 0.4%.
In the year to December 2022, retail sales grew by 1%.
The figures were released on Thursday, September 9, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
In the expanded retail trade, which includes vehicles, motorcycles, parts, and construction materials, sales grew 0.4% compared to the previous month and dropped 0.6% compared to December 2021 and 2022.
The 2.6% drop in December compared to November was the second in a row and the largest in the year.
This result was impacted by the supermarket, food and beverage, and other personal and household goods sectors.
For the year, the 1.0% growth in retail trade was the smallest in the positive series that began in 2017, including the entire period of the covid-19 pandemic starting in 2020.
The decline in retail sales volume in December was seen in seven of the eight surveyed activities:
- Fabrics, clothing, and footwear (-6.1%);
- Other personal and household goods (-2.9%);
- Fuels and lubricants (-1.6%);
- Furniture and appliances (-1.6%);
- Hyper, supermarkets, food products, beverages, and tobacco (-0.8%);
- Office, computer, and communications equipment and supplies (-0.6%);
- Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, and perfume articles (-0.4%).
Only one of the eight surveyed groupings did not register a negative rate:
- Books, newspapers, magazines, and stationery (0.1%).