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Monthly Survey of Trade

Retail sales grow 0.8% in March and close Q1 up 2.4%

Section: Economic Statistics | Vinícius Britto

May 17, 2023 09h00 AM | Last Updated: May 22, 2023 06h45 PM


Sale of office, IT and communication equipment and material was the main contributor to month's result - Photo: Jefferson Rudy/Agência Senado

The volume of trade sales grew by 0.8% in March compared to February 2023. In comparison with March 2022, there was an increase of 3.2%, while in the indicator for the last 12 months, growth was 1.2%. In the first quarter of the year, trade sales grew by 2.4% compared to the same period in 2022. The data is from the Monthly Survey of Trade (PMC), released today (17) by the IBGE.

“This increase of 0.8% represents leaving stability in February towards a result that we can consider as growth. In addition, when we look at the last three months together, we see a gain of 4.5% in relation to December of last year, the last month of decline”, comments survey manager Cristiano Santos.

The rise in the month was followed by three of the eight activities that are part of retail trade: Office, computer and communication equipment and material (7.7%), Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic articles and toiletries (0.7%) and Furniture and household appliances (0.3%). Four had negative results: Textiles, apparel and footwear (-4.5%), Other articles for personal and household use (-2.2%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-0.6%) and Fuel and lubricants (-0.1%). Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco, with the greatest weight in the index, remained stable (0.0%).

“It was a very balanced result in the analysis of the sectors. Some activities presented results very close to stability, as was the case of hypermarkets and supermarkets, the most influential activity. The positive result for the month can also be explained by the fact that the sector with the second highest weight, pharmaceuticals and toiletries, rose 0.7%”, highlights Mr. Santos.

According to the survey manager, for hypermarkets and supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco, both revenue and volume were stable. Normally, the influence of inflation pushes down a nominal revenue growth in the volume indicator, and this was not the case that month, contrary to what was observed in February, when there was a 0.8% drop. In March, inflation exerted less pressure on results.

Extended retail grows 3.6% in March

For extended retail trade (3.6%), Construction material changed by 0.2%, while Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces increased by 3.7% in March compared to February. “The extended retail trade showed an increase in the pace of growth. There was an advance in March and it has been four months of increases, driven mainly by the sector of vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces”, he points out.

Trade advances 3.2% compared to March 2022 and grows in five of eight activities

In March 2023, compared to the same month of the previous year, retail trade increased by 3.2%, with a predominance of positive rates among the activities, reaching five of the eight activities surveyed: Fuels and lubricants (14.3%), Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic products and toiletries (6.8%), Hipermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (4.5%), Office, IT and communication equipment and material (4.1%) and Furniture and household appliances (2.0%). Three sectors showed decrease in the interannual comparison: Other articles of personal and domestic use (-12.9%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-8.0%) and Textiles, apparel and footwear (-7.3%) .

In the extended retail trade, the 8.8% increase in sales, compared to March 2022, was followed by Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces (10.7%) and Specialized wholesale in food products, beverages and tobacco (5. 6%). The Construction material sector fell 5.1% in this comparison.

Also within the scope of extended retail, the Specialized wholesale in food, beverages and tobacco grew by 5.6% in the comparison between March 2023 and March 2022, the first positive result of the series, which began in January 2023. From there until March, the activity accumulated -0.7% of losses, a less sharp result than the cumulative value until February, which was -5.1%.

Sales grow in 23 of the 27 Federation Units

From February to March 2023, in the seasonally adjusted series, the volume of retail sales in the country grew by 0.8%, with positive results in 23 of the 27 Federation Units. The biggest rises were in Espírito Santo (5.7%), Paraíba (5.4%) and Alagoas (4.8%). On the other hand, there were decreases in four of the 27 FUs: Rio de Janeiro (-2.0%), Federal District (-1.4%), Tocantins (-1.1%) and Maranhão (-1.0%) .

In the same comparison, the volume of sales of the extended retail trade grew 3.6% from February to March, with positive results in 22 of the 27 Federation Units. The highlights were Tocantins (22.3%), São Paulo (14.1%) and Paraná (8.9%). On the other hand, there were decreases in five of the 27 FUs: Rio Grande do Sul (-4.0%), Ceará (-1.7%), Roraima (-1.4%), Rio Grande do Norte (-1. 3%) and Maranhão (-0.8%).

More about the survey

The PMC produces indicators that make it possible to monitor the short-term behavior of retail trade in the country, investigating the gross revenue from resale in formally constituted companies, with 20 or more employed persons, and whose main activity is the retail trade.

Started in 1995, the PMC brings monthly results on changes in volume and nominal revenue of sales for retail trade and extended retail trade (cars and contruction materials) for Brazil and Federation Units. The results can be consulted on Sidra database.


Keywords: Vendas do comércio crescem 0, 8% em março e fecham primeiro trimestre com alta de 2, 4%



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