Sales of the sector increase for the ninth month in a row, but growth decelerates, accruing a high of 9.45% in the year and 5.83% in the last 12 months. The sales volume for Brazilian retail increased in twenty-five out of 27 Federal Units: the exceptions were Tocantins and Goiás.

In August, retail commerce in the Country remained in expansion, with a growth rate of 13.20% in the nominal revenue and 7.53% in the sales volume. Such numbers illustrate a deceleration in the sector’s growth rhythm (Graph 1). In the first eight accrued months of 2004, the rates were of 11.95% in the nominal revenue and 9.45% for the sales volume. This last result also indicated a decrease in the retail’s rhythm of expansion. In the meantime, the last 12 accrued months maintained an ascending trend: 11.80% in revenues and 5.83% in volume.

With regards tot he sales volume twenty-five out of 27 Federal Units grew in the August 2004/August 2003 comparison. The two exceptions were Tocantins (-4.67%) and Goiás (-0.59%). The greatest rates were registered in Rondônia (24.05%), Acre (22.01%), Amazonas (21.57%), Mato Grosso (21.28%) and Alagoas (17.41%). The greatest contributions towards retail’s global performance (7.53%) came from São Paulo (6.30%), Rio de Janeiro (8.55%), Minas Gerais (7.79%), Rio Grande do Sul (6.47%), Paraná (7.72%) and Santa Catarina (8.20%).

Out of the five retail activities whose database was determined from the sample selected in 2000, four registered an increase in the sales volume compared to August 2003: Furniture and household appliances (29.50%); Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (4.06%); Fuels and lubricants (1.78%); and Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces (32.20%). The negative result was registered in Textiles, clothing and footwear (-0.02%). In this group of activities, only Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces – that is not included in the composition of the global rate for retail, expanded the growth rate (Table 1).

Among the new surveyed activities – sample determined in 2003 – there was a high for the sales volume of Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, and perfume and cosmetic items (10.84%), Office, computer and communications equipment and materials (7.36%), Other items for personal and domestic use (13.65%) and Construction material (9.78%). Only the Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery registered a decrease (-0.35%). All these segments decreased their growth rates in August, with exception of Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, and perfume and cosmetic items and Construction material.

In August, the Furniture and household appliances segment resumed its position as the main factor responsible for the growth of retail commerce through the expansion of sales volumes by 29.50% compared to August of last year. It should be noted that this was its first performance rate in the last six months to register below 30% (Graph 3). With changes of 29.78% and 22.90%, respectively, for the accrued year and the last twelve months, the activity also accounts for the main positive impact in the development of the global retail rate in these indicators.

By decreasing its sales volume rate from 10.40% in July to 4.06% in August, Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco resumed its position as the second largest influence in the development of the sector’s total result and offered a greater contribution towards the decline of the retail’s growth rate between July and August. The accrued sales volume for the segment in the first eight months of the year registered an increase of 5.86% compared to the same period in 2003, below the rate registered in the accrued January-July period (6.12%). In the meantime, the accrued rate for the last 12 months continued to grow: 3.08% in August compared to 2.23% in July.

The specific area of Hypermarkets and supermarkets registered slightly greater results than the group’s, with change rates in the sales volume of 4.27% compared to August 2003, of 6.01% in the accrued January-August period and 3.20% in the last 12 accrued months.

The Fuels and lubricants activity, with a growth in sales volume of 1.78% over August 2003, gave continuity to the decrease of the expansion rhythm that was already noted in the previous months (Graph 5). This reflects the increase of fuel prices during the period. The decrease in the activity’s growth level is also noted in the evolution of the accrued year: 6.01% in the first eight months of 2004, compared to 6.66% for the January-July period and 7.27% in the first semester. In the meantime, the 12 accrued months maintained an ascending trend, changing from 1.85% in July to 2.82% in August.

The decrease (-0.02%) in the sales volume for Textiles, clothing and footwear in August confirmed another scenario of decreasing performance rates, started three months ago, in this activity (Graph 6). The accrued rates follow the rhythm of other segments, with a decrease in the year’s accrued rate (from 7.42% in July to 6.41% in August) and an increase in the 12 months rate (from 2.68% to 3.27%, in the same periods).

In August, the Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces segment was highlighted both for the magnitude of the registered rate of performance (32.20% increase in sales volume compared to August 2003), as for being one of the few exceptions in terms of growth increase rhythm – more than ten percentage points over July’s rate (Graph 7). This change of 32.20% does not only represent the greatest sector rate for the month, but also the second greatest for the activity in all the time series for monthly indicators, started in January 2001. In frank expansion, this month the accrued results reached rates in the order of 19.24% and 13.38% for the respective periods of January through August 2004 and the last 12 months.

Out of the five new surveyed activities, Other items for personal and domestic use registered the greatest performance in sales volume for August. Even so, the increase of 13.65% in this month was lower than that of July (17.97%). In the January-August 2004/ January-August 2003 comparison, the change rate for the area reached 18.80%.

The sales volume for the Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, and perfume and cosmetic items segment grew 10.84% compared to August of last year and 10.38% in the accrued year, both changes over the same period of the previous year (Table 2).

The Construction material sector, with an increase of 9.78% in sales volume, over the same month of 2003, was another that increased its growth rhythm in August. For the accrued year, the registered change, of 2.84%, is relatively low due to the very negative start of the year (Table 2).

The Office, computer and communications equipment and materials sector, whose monthly sales volume rate decreased from 21.09% in July to 7.36% in August, was the activity that registered the greatest decrease in growth rhythm this month. With this, the accrued rate for the year passed from 26.59% to 23.82% between July and August.

In August, the sales volume of Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery continued to decrease (-0.35%), although it was much lower than July’s (-4.75%). At a result, the decreased of the accrued year decreased between July and August, from 1.78% to 1.62%.

Responsible for almost 50% of the domestic retail commerce’s gross revenues, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo inverted the sales volume rates rhythm in August. Rio expanded its growth of 6.94% in July to 8.55% this month, while São Paulo decreased its rate, in the same period from 12.40% to 6.30%. But in the accrued year, Rio de Janeiro, with a rate of 7.53% is still below São Paulo (9.15%).

Two activities practically determined the difference of accrued performance rates between the two States: Fuels and lubricants, with an increase in sales volume of 1.19% in Rio de Janeiro and 10.78% in São Paulo; and Textiles, clothing and footwear that registered rates of 0.18% in Rio de Janeiro and 8.94% in São Paulo. In the 12 accrued months, the distance between the performance rates is even more significant: 5.42% for São Paulo compared to 3.23% for Rio de Janeiro.