Between 2010 and 2019, persons employed in trade activities increased by 12.5%, an increase from 9.0 million to 10.2 million. However, in comparison with 2014, there was a decrease of 4.4% (or 466.1 thousand workers) in the sector. The number of commercial companies has fallen 6.9% (or 106.3 thousand companies) since 2010. Against 2014, the loss was more significant: -11.0% (or 177.3 thousand companies).

The number of local branches has fallen 2.6% (41.8 thousand branches less) since 2010 and 8.1% (140.6 thousand branches less) since 2014.

From 2018 to 2019, there were decreases in the number of employed persons in trade (-0.4%, or 42.4 thousand), companies (-5.0% of 75.6 thousand) and local branches (-3.0% or 49.8 thousand).

From 2010 to 2019, the average number of employed persons per company went from six to seven. In retail trade, which employed 74.2% of the workers in Brazil in 2019, this average was of seven persons, whereas in wholesale trade was of nine and in trade of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles, of seven persons Hypermarkets and supermarkets (90 employed persons per company) recorded the highest average.

In 2019, trade in the country generated R$ 4.0 trillion in net operating revenue and R$ 660.7 billion in gross value added. The sector paid R$ 246.4 billion in salaries, withdrawals and other compensation, whereas the average yield of persons employed in commercial activities changed from 1.8 minimum wages in 2010 to 1.9 in 2019.

In 2019, trade margin reached R$ 864.3 billion, out of which 56.1% came from retail trade and 7.5% from trade of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles.

In 2019, the Southeast generated 50.0% of the gross revenue of sales in the country and held almost half (49.6%) of its local branches.

These and more data can be found in the Annual Survey of Trade (PAC) 2019.

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Trade participation in net revenue grows from 42.0% to 44.9%

In 2019, trade generated R$ 4.0 trillion in net operating revenue (gross revenue minus deductions, such as cancelled sales, rebates, discounts, tax on sales and other taxes and contributions) and R$ 660.7 billion in gross value added (group of generated revenue minus costs of the process).

The sector had 1.4 million companies with 1.6 million local branches, which employed 10.2 million persons paying R$ 246.4 billion in salaries, withdrawals and other compensation.

The contribution of retail trade to net operating revenue increased 2.9 percentage points (p.p) in 2019 (44.9%) against 2010 (42.0%). Wholesale trade also recorded an increase, from 42.7% to 45.2%. Trade of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles fell 5.4 p.p, having changed from 15.3% to 9.9% in the period.

Among the activities recording major increases in net revenue of sales in the period, a highlight was hypermarkets and supermarkets, which rose from 10.6% to 12.9%. The other activities which recorded big changes in the period were wholesale trade of agricultural raw material and live animals (from 2.6% to 4.7%) and retail trade of fuels and lubricants (fro, 7.6% to 8.4%).

On the other hand, the contribution of motor vehicles to the net revenue of trade fell 4.8 p.p between 2010 and 2019, having changed from 11.1% to 6.3%. The other sectors recording main decreases in the period were retail trade of computer and communication material and articles for domestic use (from 6.0% to 5.1%) and wholesale trade of goods in general (from 5.0% to 4.4%).

Retail trade held 56.1% of the trade margin in 2019

Trade margin (difference between the net revenue of sales and ths cost of goods sold) was R$ 864.3 billion in 2019. From that total, retail trade accounted for 56.1%, wholesale trade, for 36.4%; and retail trade of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles, for 7.5%.

The division of the trade margin by the cost of goods sold results in the rate of trade margin, which indicates how, in relative terms, a given sector can define its net revenue of sales above costs with the acquisition of goods for resale and change of stocks. Between 2010 and 2019, there was an increase in this indicator in trade, with a change from 27.6% to 28.8%.

Trade of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles recorded the biggest increase in this indicator (3.3 p.p) and reached 21.0 in 2019. Retail trade, however, had the highest trade marging, 37.7%, with an increase of 2.2 p.p in the period. Wholesale trade reached 22.3% in 2019, with a decrease of 1.8 p.p.

Among the 22 commercial activities, the segment of retail trade of vehicles, wearing apparel and haberdashary remained as the leader with the highest trade margin (81.8%), followed by retail trade of cultura, recreational and sporting articles (65.5%) and retail trade of new and used products without specification (58.7%).

Wholesale trade of fuels and lubricants (7.3%), trade of motor vehicles (12.7%) and retail trade of fuels and lubricants (15.4%) recorded the lowest trade margins.

The biggest increases in trade margin were recorded by retail trade of computer and communication material and of articles for domestic use (53.9%) and of fabric, wearing apparel and haberdashary (81.8%), both with 10.6 p.p. Also relevant was the result of construction material (51.6%) with an increase of 7.9 p.p between 2010 and 2019.

Eight companies concentrate 10% of the net revenue of trade sales

IBGE analyzes the concentration in trade using the “eight-firm concentration ratio” indicator (R8), which shows the percentage of net revenue corresponding to the eight biggest companies in the sector. The highest the R8, the more concentrated the sector of subgroup of activities. The concentration of commercial activity among the eight biggest companies was of 10.0% in 2019, having remained unchanged in comparison with 2010.

Wholesale trade recorded a decrease of 3.1 p.p in the R8 indicator, having changed from 21.4% to 18.3% in 2019. Among the activities in the sector, fuels and lubricants was the most concentrated activity (64.2%), followed by trade of goods (32.7%) and trade of agricultural raw material and live animals (29.6%).

Retail recorded an increase in concentration, accounting for 10.2% of the net revenue of sales in the eight biggest companies of the sector. Trade of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles lost 0.7 p.p. between 2010 and 2019, with a change from 4.4% to 3.7%.

More than 74% of the workers in trade were in retail

Trade employed 10.2 million persons in 2019, being 74.2% in retail trade, 16.9% in wholesale and 8.9% in the trade of vehciles, pieces and motorcycles. the advance of 1.1 p.p in trade, between 2010 and 2019, consolidated the sector as the main employer in trade and the only one of the three segments to advance in this period.

Another highlight was the advance of hypermarkets and supermarkets, which employed the biggest proportion (18.8%) of workers and had the biggest increase in participation (3.7 p.p.) in the period. The most significant increase was that of retail trade of computer and communication material and articles for domestic use (-2.5 p.p.) which, in 2019, employed 11.6% of the workers in the sector.

Wholesale trade reduced its participation in the trade overall by 0.3 p. p., and employed, in 2019, 16.9% of the total in trade. Since 2010, the sector of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles lost 0.8 pp. and, in 2019, was responsible for 8.9% of the jobs in trade.

Average level of employment in hypermarkets and supermarkets is of 90 persons per company

The average number of employed persons in trade was seven per company in 2019, against an average of six persons in 2010. This variable is relatively homogeneous among trade segments: the average figure in trade of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles is seven persons; in wholesale trade, nine persons; and in retail trade, seven.

The sector of hypermarkets and supermarkets had the highest average, 90 persons per company in 2019. Then comes wholesale trade of goods in general (29 persons) and wholesale trade of fuels and lubricants (28 persons).

Trade representatives and agents (2 persons), retail trade of used and new products without specification (4 persons) and retail trade of food products, beverages and tobacco (5 persons) had the smallest average sizes.

Average trade revenue leveled off from 2010 and 2019

In 2019, trade companies paid, on the average, 1.9 minimum wages, with a slight change in relation to 2010 (1.8 minimum wages). Wholesale trade paid the highest average salary (2.8 minimum wages), followed by trade of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles (2.0 minimum wages) and retail trade (1.6 minimum wages).

Trade of vehicles, pieces and motorcycles was the only one of the major segments in trade with a change in the average salary between 2010 and 2019: -0.3 minimum wages in the period. In this period, the average salary of the three groups in this segment recorded a slight decrease: trade of motor vehicles (from 3.1 minimum wages to 2.9 minimum wages), trade of vehicles (from 1.8 minimum wages to 1.7 minimum wages) and trade of motorcycles, pieces and accessories (from 1.9 minimum wages to 1.8 minimum wages).

In wholesale trade, the segments with the highest average salaries - trade of fuels and lubricants (5.7 minimum wages) and trade of machinery, appliances and equipment, including IT (Information Technology) and communication (4.1 minimum wages) - had the most significant decreases between 2010 and 2019: 1.4 minimum wages and 0.4 minimum wages, respectively.

On the other hand, trade of agricultural raw material and live animals and trade of miscellaneous goods recorded the biggest increases: respectively 0.5 minimum wages and 0.3 minimum wages in the same period.

Retail trade and its groups had the lowest average salaries. Retail trade of food products, beverages and tobacco paid 1.2 minimum wages and trade of cultural, recreational and sporting articles paid 1.5 mimimum wages, on the average. Hypermarkets and supermarkets; trade of fuels and lubricants; of information and communication material and articles for domestic use; and trade of pharmaceuticals, toiletries, cosmetics and medical and orthopedic articles, paid 1.8 minimum wages, highest average in trade.

Southeast Region is responsible for half of the national gross revenue

Among the Major Regions, the Southeast was responsible for 50.0% of the gross revenue in the country. Although it still leads the ranking, the Major Region’s contribution was reduced in comparison with 2010, when it concentrated 52.4% of the total. From 2010 to 2019, the South changed from 19.5% to 20.8%, and the Central West, from 9.1% to 10.3%.

The Southeast also accounted for half (49.6%) of the local branches in 2019, but its contribution had dropped (-0.3 p.p) in comparison with 2010. The Central West, in turn, registered the biggest increase in representativeness, with an increase of 0.6 p.p in the period.

The Southeast employed most of the employed persons in trade in the country in 2019, with 51.9% of the total, with an increase in participation (0.5 p.p.0 against 2010. The South recorded the biggest decrease in participation (-0.5 p.p).

In relation to the total salaries paid, these two Regions followed opposite directions. The South recorded an increase of 0.4 p.p and the Southeast, loss of 0.2 p.p. But the Northeast had the biggest decrease in participation (-0.4%), having changed from 13.4% in 2010, to 13.0%, in 2019. In 2019, the Southeast paid the highest average salary (2.0 minimum wages), followed by the South (both paying 1.8 minimum wages) and by the Northeast (1.4 minimum wages). On the average, commercial companies paid 1.9 minimum wages to their employees in 2019.

São Paulo holds 61.1% of the Southeast Region’s gross revenue

The Southeast concentrated most of its commercial activity in São Paulo, a state that accounted for 61.1% of the revenue of this Major Region. The second biggest contribution was that of Minas Gerais (19.1%), followed by Rio de Janeiro (13.8%) and Espírito Santo (6.0%).

In the South, contributions were more homegeneous, being the main contribution that of Paraná (37.2%), followed by Rio Grande do Sul (33.8%) and Santa Catarina (29.0%).

In the North Region, two states held 61.7% of the gross revenue of sales: Pará (36.9%) and Amazonas (24.8%). In 2010, Amazonas accounted for 31.7% of the revenue (-6.9% p.p). Tocantins went from 6.1% to 13.2% (7.1 p.p) between 2010 and 2019.

Bahia (26.8%), Pernambuco (19.8%) and Ceará (15.6%) generated 62.2% of the total in the Northeast, whereas Sergipe (3.7%), Alagoas (4.7%) and Piauí (5.6%) accounted for the smallest contributions.

In the Central West, Goiás (33.7%) and Mato Grosso (33.2%) had similar participations, as well as the Federal District (17.4%) and Mato Grosso do Sul (15.7%). The contribution of mato Grosso has grown 9.3 p.p since 2010, whereas that of the Federal District fell by 6.7 p.p. in the period.