‎Brazil News

 

Published 07/07/2021 18:59

Retail trade rose 1.4% in sales in May

The biggest change was in fabrics, apparel and footwear (16.8%). - Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil

 

Retail sales increased 1.4% in May, compared to the previous month. This is the second consecutive monthly high. In April, retail sales had grown by 4.9%. In the year, the sector accumulates a gain of 6.8%. The data are from the Monthly Survey of Commerce (PMC), released this Wednesday (7) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). In the comparison between May this year and May 2020, retail sales increased by 16.0%.

 

The Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, highlighted the good result of trade, as it is a sector that had a strong drop due to Covid-19. “Brazil is already on its feet, it is already taking off again at a good speed against all expectations. This is happening across all of our indicators."

 

Of the eight activities surveyed, seven had increased sales in May. The biggest change was in fabrics, apparel and footwear (16.8%). Then, fuels and lubricants (6.9%) and other articles for personal and domestic use (6.7%), books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (1.4%), office, computer and communication equipment and supplies (3.3%), hyper and supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (1.0%) and furniture and appliances (0.6%). The drop in sales volume in May occurred in the pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, perfumery and cosmetics items sector (-1.4%).

 

The increase in sales was noticed by the businesswoman from Xapuri (AC), Adelaide Ribeiro, who had been with low traffic in the store in the variety, clothing and footwear sector since the arrival of the new coronavirus.

 

“With this crisis, we had a very big drop in sales due to the lack of jobs, the difficulty for people to leave because they were not vaccinated. With the vaccines coming, I realized that in the last three months there has been an increase in sales of children's clothing and men's shoes. I hope that, in the very near future, we will return to normal life and that sales will also continue to grow”, said the merchant.

 

Growth by regions

From April to May, retail trade grew in 26 of the 27 Federation Units. Among the highlights are Amapá (23.3%), Ceará (9.4%) and Minas Gerais (9.2%). The state of Goiás (-0.3%) was the only one to experience retraction in retail sales volume.

 

expanded retail

In expanded retail trade, which includes, in addition to retail, the activities of vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces and construction material, sales grew 3.8% from April to May. The increase was 1% and 5%, respectively. It is also the second consecutive month of high.

 

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Finances, Taxes and Public Management