In December 2020, the volume of sales of the retail trade fell 6.1% over November, in the seasonally-adjusted series, having changed -0.1% in November. The quarterly moving average was -1.8%.

In the non-adjusted series, compared to December 2019, the retail trade increased by 1.2%, the sixth consecutive positive rate. Year to date, the retail rose from 1.3% in November to 1.2% in December, indicating stability in the pace of sales.

In the extended retail, which includes motor vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces and construction material, the volume of sales fell 3.7% in relation to November, partially offsetting the seven consecutive months of increases. The moving average (-0.6%) indicated a reduction in the pace of sales. Compared to December 2019, the extended retail grew 2.6%, the sixth consecutive positive rate. The cumulative index in the year was -1.5%.

All eight activities surveyed had decrease in December

The 6.1% decrease in the volume of retail sales from November to December 2020, in the seasonally adjusted series, reached all eight activities surveyed, in the following order of importance: Other personal and household articles ( -13.8%), Textiles, apparel and footwear (-13.3%), Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-6.8%), Furniture and household appliances (-3.7%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-2.7%), Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic articles, toiletries and cosmetics (-1.6%), Fuels and lubricants (-1.5%) and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (-0.3%).

Considering the extended retail trade, in December, the 3.7% drop in sales volume compared to November 2020, in the seasonally adjusted series, was also seen in the two sectors that compose it, in addition to the eight previously mentioned: Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces decreased by 2.6% and Construction material, by 1.8%.

Retail accumulates 1.2% in 2020, fourth consecutive year of growth

Since 2017, the retail trade has presented positive numbers in the annual index: 2.1% in 2017; 2.3% in 2018; 1.8% in 2019; and 1.2% in 2020. The growth of retail trade in the last year was uneven across sectors, showing a decrease in the first half and an increase in the second. The extended retail trade, in turn, accumulated a drop of 1.5% in 2020, the first negative result after three consecutive years accumulating gains.

Retail trade grows 1.2% over December 2019

Compared to December 2019, retail trade grew 1.2%, with four out of eight activities registering positive rates. It is worth mentioning that December 2020 had one more working day (22 days) than the same month of the previous year (21 days). The activities with growth were: Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic articles, toiletries and cosmetics (13.8%), Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (3.5%), Furniture and household appliances (2.9%) and Other personal and household articles (1.6%). On the other hand, the activities that decreased were: Fuels and lubricants (-6.5%), Textiles, apparel and footwear (-9.9%), Office and computer equipment and material (-12.2%) and Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-37.4%). The activities that make up the extended retail trade had a positive performance in the interannual indicator: Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces (1.7%) and Construction material (18.8%).

In the half-yearly indicator, the increase in the intensity of retail sales from the first to the second half of 2020 was recorded in most activities, with a highlight to Furniture and household appliances (from -1.4% to 20.7%) and Other personal and household articles (from -10.6% to 12.9%). In the extended retail trade there was also an increase in pace between the first and second semesters of 2020 (from -7.7% to 4.2%) resulting from the combination of the loss of pace of decline in Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces (from -22.7% to -5.4%) and the increase in sales of Construction material (from -2.0% to 22.4%).

The Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco sector, with an increase of 3.5% compared to December 2019, registered the first positive rate after a 1.8% drop in November for this comparison. The segment had the main positive impact in the formation of the global retail rate (1.5 pp of the total of 1.2% of the change of the interannual indicator). Activity performance has been affected by an inflationary component registered in recent months. The sector recorded the fourth consecutive year accumulating gains, with 2020 being the most intense of the period: 1.5% in 2017; 3.8% in 2018; 0.4% in 2019; and 4.8% in 2020.

The activity of Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic articles, toiletries and cosmetics presented 13.8% in sales compared to December 2019, registering the seventh consecutive positive change, in comparison with the same month of the previous year. This result was enough to place the sector as the second, in terms of composition of the rate of the interannual indicator, of the ten activities surveyed, contributing with 1.1 pp to total retail trade. At the end of the year, the sector accumulated a gain of 8.3%, the most intense of the four consecutive increases for this indicator (2.5% in 2017; 5.9% in 2018; 6.8% in 2019; in addition to 8.3% in 2020, previously mentioned).

The Furniture and household appliances segment grew 2.9% in sales volume compared to December 2019. As with the pharmaceutical and hypermarkets and supermarkets, the December high represents the seventh consecutive positive rate, placing the sector as the third in terms of impact on the annual rate, contributing with 0.3 pp to the 1.2% indicator. In 2020 the sector accumulated 10.6% of change, the second high of the series, which had registered 3.6% in 2019, after a drop of 1.3% in 2018.

As with the previous three sectors, the Other personal and household articles segment, which includes department stores, opticians, jewelers, sporting goods, toys, etc., registered its seventh consecutive month of increase in the interannual indicator. The 1.6% value in sales volume in relation to December 2019, however, was the least intense, in terms of magnitude, of the sequence. The sector closes the fourth consecutive year accumulating gains, with 2.5% in 2020, against 6.1% in 2019, 7.6% in 2018 and 2.1% in 2017.

The activity of Office and computer equipment and material in the interannual indicator, with -12.2% in December 2020 against the same month of 2019, recorded its twelfth month of negative change. This sequence represents the second largest sequence of months with negative results for this indicator, surpassed by the period from July 2015 to March 2017, when it reached 21 months of results below the same month of the previous year. In 2020, the sector accumulated -16.2% change, the first negative result after two years with positive results (0.2% in 2018 and 0.8% in 2019).

The activity of Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery showed -37.4% compared to December 2019, the eleventh consecutive negative result in the comparison month against the same month of the previous year. This sequence reflects the influence of the continuous replacement of printed products by electronic means and the reduction of physical stores. Thus, the sector registered a five-month high, in all, over the last 83 months. In terms of the cumulative result for the year, the segment closes 2020 with -30.6%, the greatest negative rate of all sectors surveyed by PMC, including those of extended retail, being the seventh consecutive year with losses for the sector.

For Fuels and lubricants, the result of -6.5% in sales volume in relation to December 2019, followed the path in the negative field of the previous nine months for this indicator, exerting the second major negative contribution to the total result of the retail (-0.5 pp). As a result, the segment closes 2020 at -9.7% (cumulative change) after 0.6% of 2019. As of March 2020, the sector's growth rate was affected by the decrease in the circulation of people, and consequent decreasing consumption of fuels, due to the current Covid-19 pandemic.

The Textiles, apparel and footwear sector, with a -9.9% change compared to December 2019, recorded the tenth negative rate in this comparison. The activity had the greatest negative impact on the formation of the global retail rate (-1.2 pp of the total of 1.2% of retail trade). Thus, in 2020, the sector accumulated a loss of 22.7%, after changing 0.1% in 2019, being the second biggest negative, in magnitude of all sectors surveyed.

With 18.8% in relation to December 2019, the Construction Material segment accounts for the seventh consecutive positive rate, in comparison with the same month of the previous year. The sector closed the year at 10.8% (cumulative change), the fourth consecutive positive rate and the second highest in the time series (the first was 2010, with 15.7%). The segment saw its growth boosted from May 2020, influenced by sales of material for small works and repairs.

The activity of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces, registering 1.7% in relation to December 2019, marked the second consecutive positive rate, exerting the greatest positive contribution to the result of the extended retail. With the coming of December, the sector accumulated, in 2020, a loss of 13.7%, the first annual decrease since 2016.

Retail has negative results in 26 Federation \units from November to December

From November to December 2020, in the seasonally adjusted series, the national average retail sales rate fell 6.1%, with a predominance of negative results in 26 of the 27 Federation Units, with a highlight to: Acre (- 17.5%), Rondônia (-12.0%) and Maranhão (-8.3%). On the other hand, Amapá showed stability. In the same comparison, in the extended retail trade, the change between November and December was -3.7%, with a predominance of negative results in 26 of the 27 states, with a highlight to: Acre (-12.8%), Rondônia (-7.7%) and Santa Catarina (-5.7%). Amapá was the only FU with positive change (3.8%) for this indicator.

Compared to December 2019, the change of the national retail trade was 1.2%, with positive results in 19 of the 27 Federation Units, with a highlight to Roraima (15.8%), Piauí (14.1%) and Pará (13.5%). On the other hand, with negative pressure, there are eight of the 27 Federation Units, with a highlight to Tocantins (-8.4%), Bahia (-6.6%) and Rio Grande do Sul (-6.0%). As for participation in the composition of the retail rate, Santa Catarina (6.0%), Minas Gerais (3.4%) and São Paulo (0.8%) stood out positively. Rio Grande do Sul (-6.0%), Bahia (-6.6%) and Rio de Janeiro (-1.0%) stood out negatively.

Considering the extended retail trade, in comparison with December 2019, the increase of 2.6% had a predominance of positive results in 22 of the 27 Federation Units, with a highlight to: Roraima (17.2%), Pará (14.6 %) and Piauí (14.0%). On the other hand, with negative pressure, there are five of the 27 Federation Units, with a highlight to: Bahia (-4.7%), Rio Grande do Sul (-4.7%) and the Federal District (-2.4%), according to Graph 7. Regarding the participation in the composition of the extended retail rate, the following stood out positively: São Paulo (1.8%), Minas Gerais (4.8%) and Santa Catarina (4.0%). The negative highlights are: Rio Grande do Sul (-4.7%), Rio de Janeiro (-1.9%) and Bahia (-4.7%).