In April of 2012, the retail trade grew 0.8% in the volume of sales and 0.6% in the nominal revenue, both rates in relation to the previous month (seasonally adjusted). In the other comparisons, obtained from the unadjusted original series, the national retail trade recorded, as to the volume of sales, increases of 6.0% over April of the previous year, 9.2% in the accumulated index of the last four months and of 7.2% in the accumulated of the last 12 months. For the same indicators, the nominal revenue of sales recorded change rates of 7.5%, 12.2% and 11.4%, respectively. The complete publication of the survey can be accessed at www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/comercio/pmc/.

Results were positive in all states in the comparison with April 2011

As to the volume of sales, all federation units registered positive results in the comparison with April 2011. The highlights were: Roraima (24.0%); Amapá (15.7%); Acre (13.0%); Tocantins (13.0%) and Mato Grosso do Sul (12.5%). Concerning the contribution to the composition of the retail trade rate, the highlights were São Paulo (6.7%); Paraná (8.8%); Minas Gerais (5.5%); Rio Grande do Sul (6.6%) and Bahia with 7.9%.

In relation to the extended retail, six of the 27 states presented negative results for the volume of sales in the comparison with April of 2011: Roraima (12.3%); Tocantins (12.1%); Mato Grosso (11.2%); Bahia (8.7%) and Alagoas (7.8%).The highest negative changes were: Espírito Santo (-19.6%), Maranhão (-4.9%) and Santa Catarina (-4.7%). Concerning the impact over the overall result of the sector, the highlights were São Paulo (6.6%); Bahia (8.7%); Paraná (4.9%), Rio Grande do Sul (4.5%) and Mato Grosso do Sul with 11.2%.

The seasonally adjusted results, for the volume of sales, point to 22 states with positive results on a month/previous month comparison. The highest changes were in Roraima (6.9%); Bahia (3.5%); Ceará (3.1%), Goiás (2.6%) and Maranhão with 2.2%.  

Among the activities, eight present positive changes

In the fourth month of the year, eight the ten surveyed activities registered positive results for the volume of sales, seasonally adjusted in the comparison with March 2012. The results were:  fuels and lubricants (2.5%); construction material (1.8%); furniture and house appliances (1.5%); office, computer and communication equipment and material (1.3%); fabric, apparel and footwear (1.1%); pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toiletries (0.9%);  vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories (0.2%); other articles of personal and domestic use (0.1%); hypermarket, supermarket, food products, beverages and tobacco (-0.8%) and books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-2.9%).

Conversely, in the April 2012 over April 2011 relation (unadjusted series), for the retail, six of the eight activities presented positive results: 12.1% in furniture and house appliances; 3.6% for hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco; 33.2% in office, computer and communication equipment and material; 6.4% for fuels and lubricants; 9.2% for pharmaceutical, medical and orthopedic articles, toiletries and cosmetics; 2.7% for other articles of personal and domestic use; -4.3% in books, newspapers, magazines and stationery and -1.1% in fabric, apparel and footwear.

Furniture and house appliances, with a change of 12.1% in the volume of sales in relation to April last year, registered the highest impact in the formation of the rate (35%).  This result reflects the government policy aiming at enhancing consumption through the reduction of the IPI tax rate for the so called white line. It is also due to credit maintenance, job stability and income growth. The accumulated rate in the year was of 15.0% and, in the last 12 months, 15.8%.

Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco, with a change of 3.6% in the volume of sales in April against the same month 2011, after a quarter being the main contributors, return to the second position in the composition of the retail rate (31%). In terms of accumulated indexes, the rate for the first four months of the year was 9.3% and for the last 12 months, 5.6%. The so called Easter effect explains this result, because, in 2012, the purchases were diluted in March and April, whereas in the previous year they were concentrated in April, resulting in a higher comparative basis.   

Office, computer and communication material and equipment, with the third biggest impact in the composition of the overall rate (12%), recorded a change of 33.2% in the volume of sales, in relation to April 2011. In accumulated terms, the rates were 31.5% in 2012 and 27.0% in the last 12 months.  The activity still presents a positive performance due to the reduction of the prices of the products in the sector (-9.9% in the last 12 months for personal computer according to IPCA).    

With a negative change of 1.1% in relation to April 2011, fabric, apparel and footwear exerted the lowest influence in the retail composition. There was a growth below average, attributable to the rise of the prices of the sector (change of 6.5% in the last 12 months for apparel against 5.1% of the overall price index, according to IPCA). In the accumulated index, the activity registers a change rate of 0.4% in the year, and 1.7% in the last 12 months.

Extended retail trade grows 0.7% in April

The extended retail trade, comprising the retail trade plus the activities of vehicles, motorcycles, parts and accessories and construction material, recorded, in relation to the previous month (with seasonal adjustment), a growth of 0.7% both for the volume of sales and for the nominal revenue.  Compared with the same month a year ago (seasonally unadjusted), the changes were of 2.9% for the volume of sales and of 3.7% for the nominal revenue. In the indicators accumulated in the year and in the last 12 months, the sector presente change rates of 6.2% and 6.0% for the volume of sales and 8.0% and 8.4% for the nominal revenue of sales, respectively.

As to the volume of sales, vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories recorded a rise of 0.2% in relation to March. This result inverts the negative signal that has been seen in the segment, but it does not absorb yet the impact of the IPI reduction, which occurred in May this year.  Comparing with April a year ago, the change was of -4.4%. In terms of accumulated indexes, the changes were as it follows: -0.3% in the last four months and 3.3% in the last 12 months.

Concerning construction material, the changes for the volume of sales were of 1.8% against the previous month, of 12.9% in relation to April of 2011 and 13.3% and 9.4% in the accumulated indexes of the last four months and of the last 12 months, respectively. The rise of the volume of salaries, credit supply, coupled with the list of products in the sector that remain without IPI, influenced in the changes.