In the seasonally-adjusted series, volume of sales of the national retail trade changed -0.1% in December 2021 over November. In the seasonally-unadjusted series, the retail trade fell 2.9% over December 2020, the fifth consecutive negative rate in this comparison. Retail rose 1.4% in the cumulative index in the year.

In the extended retail trade, which includes vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces and construction material, volume of sales changed 0.3% against November, retreated 2.7% in relation to December last year and accumulated a rise of 4.5% in 2021.

Four of eight activities advanced in the seasonally-adjusted series

In the seasonally-adjusted series, the change of -0.1% in volume of sales of the retail in December 2021 led to a predominance of rates on the positive side among the segments. Four out of eight activities surveyed advanced: Pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles (3.2%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (2.4%), Furniture and domestic appliances (0.4%) and Fabric, apparel and footwear (0.4%).

On the other hand, three activities dropped between November and December: Other articles of personal and domestic use (-5.7%), Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-2.0%) and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (-.04%). The sector of Fuels and lubricants did not change (0.0%) in this period.  

Of the two additional sectors in the extended retail trade, that of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces (1.2%) rose and that of Construction material (-1.4%) dropped. In the previous month, those activities registered changes of 0.8% and 0.5%, respectively.

Seven of eight retail activities recorded negative rates against December 2021

Compared with December 2021, the retail trade dropped 2.9%, with a predominance of rates on the negative side, hitting seven out of eight activities: Furniture and domestic appliances (-17.6%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-6.8%), Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-6.6%), Fuels and lubricants (-6.1%), Other articles of personal and domestic use (-6.0%), Fabric, apparel and footwear (-0.5%) and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (-0.4%).

The only activity to grow in the comparison with the same month in the previous year was Pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles (7.8%).

Whenever considering the activities that comprise the extended retail trade, the activity of Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces changed 0.3%, whereas Construction material declined 8.3%.

The sector of Furniture and domestic appliances fell 17.6% in volume of sales over December 2020. The activity registered seven consecutive months of negative figures in the inter-annual comparison, as well as exerted the greatest impact (-1.8 percentage points of the total of -2.9%) on the overall retail for the year. That sector closed 2021 accumulating a loss of 7.0% in relation to 2020, reversing the trend, since that it accumulated 10.6% in 2020 over 2019.

The activity of Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery retreated 6.8% against December 2020, the fourth consecutive drop, after -3.5% in September, -7.9% in October and -14.1% in November. In 2021, that sector accumulated -16.9%, the eighth consecutive year with losses. The acceleration in the replacement of printed material by digital, now also in the segment of textbooks, explained the behavior of that activity.

The segment of Office, computer and communication material and equipment fell 6.6% in relation to December 2020, the sixth consecutive result and the ninth in the year of 2021. Totaling the data for 2021, that sector accumulated losses for the second time in a row: -2.0% in 2021 and -16.2% in 2020.

The sector of Fuels and lubricants, with a decrease of 6.1%, repeated its negative result for the fourth month in a row (-4.2% in September, -7.6% in October and -7.0% in November), after five months of rates on the positive side. The price rise of fuels has been influencing negatively the performance of the sector. In the year, that activity changed 0.3%, the first rate on the positive side since 2019.

The segment of Other articles of personal and domestic use, which comprises department, optical, jewelry, sports, toy stores and others, registered a more intense retreat (-6.0%) compared with December 2020 than in November (-2.6%), in the same comparison. In 2021, that sector accumulated gains in volume of 12.7%, recording its second positive rate in a row.

The sector of Fabric, apparel and footwear, in turn, changed -0.5% in relation to December 2020, the third consecutive rate on the negative side, after eight positive changes in a row. Yet, that activity accumulated a rise of 13.8% in 2021, offsetting part of the retraction (-22.5%) recorded in 2020.

Having changed -0.4% over December 2020, the sector of Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco recorded the 11th consecutive rate on the negative side. In the year, that activity accumulated a drop of 2.6%, the first annual retreat since 2016.

The activity of Pharmaceuticals, medical and orthopedic articles and toiletries was the only to grow in sales in December 2020: 7.8%. Having grown 9.8% in the cumulative index in the year, that sector registered a stable growth pace in relation to November (10.0%), closing the year with gains above 2020 (8.3%).

After rising 1.8% in November, volume of sales in the sector of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces changed 0.3% in relation to December 2020. In the cumulative index in the year, that segment rose 14.9%, after registering a loss of 13.6% in 2020.

Lastly, the sector of Construction material dropped 8.3% in relation to December 2020, the sixth consecutive drop in this comparison. Yet, it closed the year with a positive rate (4.4%), though well below the growth accumulated in 2020 (10.8%).

In the cumulative index in the year, the retail registered a positive result close to the previous years

In 2021, the retail trade accumulated a growth of 1.4% over 2020, standing very close to the percentages of growth recorded in the two previous years (1.2% in 2020 and 1.8% in 2021). That was the fifth consecutive figure on the positive side. In sectoral terms, 2021 registered positive values for four activities of the retail trade: Fabric, apparel and footwear (13.8%), Other articles of personal and domestic use (12.7%), Pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles (9.8%) and Fuels and lubricants (0.3%).

On the other hand, four activities recorded a loss in this comparison: Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-16.9%), Furniture and domestic appliances (-7.0%), Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (-2.6%) and Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-2.0%).

In the extended retail trade, the activities of Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces and Construction material accumulated gains of 14.9% and 4.4% in 2021, respectively.

Second semester reversed part of the advance registered in the first one

In terms of semester, the retail trade grew in the first part of the year (6.7%) and dropped in the second one (-3.0%). The behavior was the reverse in relation to 2020, which dropped in the first semester (-3.2%) and rose in the second one (5.1%). Five sectors closed the second semester with a drop: Furniture and domestic appliances (-19.4%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-9.7%), Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-8.6%), Fuels and lubricants (-3.1%) and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (-2.6%).

On the other hand, Pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles (4.3%), Fabric, apparel and footwear (3.8%) and Other articles of personal and domestic use (0.7%) registered positive figures in the comparison with the second semester of 2020.

The extended retail trade, in turn, also dropped in the second semester of 2021 (-1.7%): Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces grew (5.5%) and Construction material dropped (-8.1%).

Sales dropped in 19 Federation Units between November and December

Between November and December, the national rate of sales of the retail trade retreated 0.1% in the seasonally-adjusted series, with negative figures prevailing in 19 out of 27 Federation Units, highlighted by: Mato Grosso (-4.7%), Acre (-4.5%) and Rondônia (-4.3%).  

The positive side registers eight Federation Units, highlighted by: Tocantins (1.3%), Santa Catarina (0.8%) and Espírito Santo (0.6%).

Compared with December 2020, the change was of -2.9%, with a predominance of negative figures in 21 Federation Units, highlighted by: Bahia (-12.9%), Pernambuco (-11.4%) and Sergipe (-11.1%). In contrast, the following states pressed positively: Mato Grosso do Sul (4.1%), Rio Grande do Sul (3.8%) and Espírito Santo (3.8%).  

The change was of 0.3% between November and December for the extended retail trade, also with a predominance of negative figures in 17 FUs, highlighted by: Acre (-4.6%), Sergipe (-3.0%) and Amapá (-2.9%). Ten FUs pressed positively, highlighted by: Tocantins (5.8%), Goiás (3.8%) and Espírito Santo (3.6%).

It dropped 2.7% in the comparison with December 2020, with a predominance of negative figures in 16 FUs, highlighted by: Amapá (-12.1%), the Federal District (-11.3%) and Paraíba (-11.2%). Eleven were on the other side, highlighted by: Tocantins (10.9%), Espírito Santo (9.5%) and Goiás (8.5%).