In August 2021, retail trade decreased by 3.1% compared to July, in the seasonally-adjusted series. The quarterly moving average had a change of -0.5%. In the non-adjusted series, retail trade fell by 4.1%, the first negative change after a five months of highs. The cumulative index in the year was 5.1% and the cumulative index in 12 months was 5.0%.

In the extended retail trade, which includes motor vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces and construction material, the sales volume decreased 2.5%. The moving average for the quarter ended in August (-1.3%) also reversed the upward trend of the quarter ended in July (0.6%). Compared to August 2020, the extended retail recorded a 0.0% change, after five months of positive rates. In the year, the extended retail accumulates high of 9.8% and, in 12 months, sales rose 8.0%. 

The volume of retail sales, from July to August 2021, dropped 3.1%, offsetting the 2.7% increase from June to July.  There was negative change in six of the eight activities surveyed by the PMC. Compared to the same month in 2020, retail also retreated (-4.1%), interrupting five consecutive months of positive rates.  As a result, the retail level once again retreated to the level of July 2020.

In August, six out of eight activities dropped in the seasonally-adjusted series

In the seasonally adjusted series, from July to August 2021, among the eight sectors investigated by the Monthly Survey of Trade for retail trade and the ten in the extended retail trade, there was a predominance of negative rates, reaching six of the eight surveyed activities:  Other articles of personal and domestic use (-16.0%), Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-4.7%), Fuels and lubricants (-2.4%), Furniture and household appliances (-1.3%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-1.0%) and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (-0.9%).

On the other hand, the activities that had a positive change in sales volume from July to August were:  Fabric, apparel and footwear (1.1%) and Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, cosmetic and toilet articles (0.2%).

In extended retail trade, the activity of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces recorded a 0.7% change between July and August, while Construction material decreased 1.3%, both, respectively, after a 0.3% change and a 2.4% drop in the previous month.  The cumulative index in the year was 5.1% and the cumulative index in 12 months, 5.0%, against 5.9% in July. 

In comparison with the same month of the previous year, in the non-adjusted series, the drop of 4.1% had four negative rates among the eight surveyed activities:  Furniture and household appliances (-19.8%), Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-9.1%), Hypermarkets, supermarkets, Food products, beverages and tobacco (-4.6%) and Other articles of personal and domestic use (-1.7%).

On the other hand, four sectors had increase over August 2020: Pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles (6.5%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (1.3%), Fabric, apparel and footwear (1.0%) and Fuels and lubricants (0.4%).

The extended retail trade had a 0.0% change compared to August 2020.  The activity of Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces grew 16.8% and that of Construction material dropped 7.1%.

Six out of eight retail activities retreated over August 2020

The sales volume of the Furniture and Appliances segment fell 19.8% compared to August 2020, the third negative rate after four months of positive results. This was the sharpest negative contribution (-2.3 pp) to the year-on-year rate (-4.1%) of retail trade.

The cumulative index in the year, changing from 6.8% until July to 2.6% until August, showed a decrease in the pace of sales.  The cumulative index in the last 12 months (7.7%) in August was below the cumulative index up to July (12.7%).

Having retreated 4.6% over August 2020, the sector of Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco recorded the seventh consecutive negative rate in this comparison, with increased pace of loss over July´s figure (-1.8%). The segment made the second sharpest negative contribution (-2.2 pp) to the inter-annual retail indicator.  The cumulative index in the last 12 months (-0.8%) in August showed an intensification of the downward trend compared to July (-0.1%).

The segment of Other articles of personal and domestic use, which includes department stores, glasses shops, jewelry shops, sporting goods stores, toy stores, etc., decreased 1.7% over August 2020, first negative result after 14 months od highs. (59.7%). Compared with the previous month (26.9%), the cumulative index in the year up to August (32.5%) lost pace. The cumulative index over the last 12 months registered increase of 21.0%, a loss of 2.0 pp in relation to the July´s figure (23.0%).

The segment of Office, computer and communication material and equipment retreated 9.1% over the inter-annual indicator in volume, in relation to August 2020. The index accumulated in the year (2.3%) through August was lower than that of July (4.1%).  The cumulative indicator over the last 12 months (–2.7%) kept the pace of decline in sales in relation to July (–3.0%).

The activity of Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery registered an increase of 1.3% compared to August 2020, for this indicator, registered in the month of July (-23.2%).  Having changed from -22.9% up to July to -20.9% up to August, the cumulative index in the year pointed out to a decrease in the loss of pace, the same movement of the cumulative index over the last 12 months, which changed from -28.2% up to July to -25.2% up to August.

The sector of Fuels and lubricants, with a 0.4% change in the sales volume over August 2020 posted the fifth consecutive month of positive rates for the inter-annual indicator. As a result, in the cumulative index of the year, decreasing from 4.4% up to July to 3.9% up to August, the activity shows stability in the sales pace.  In the annualized indicator, accumulated in the last 12 months, there was an inversion of rates, from negative to positive, for the first time since February 2020, changing from -0.6% in July to 0.3% in August.

The sector of fabric, apparel and footwear grew 1.0% over August 2020, the fifth positive rate in this comparison. As a result, the cumulative index in the year went from 34.2% in July to 28.1% in August, while the cumulative indicator in the last 12 months, which changed from 10.3% in July to 11.1% in August, registers the third positive rate for this indicator.

The activity of Pharmaceutical, medical and orthopedic articles, and toiletries increased 6.5% in sales over August 2020, recording the 15th consecutive positive change compared with the same month last year. The sector, thus, was the major contributor of positive values to the absolute rate of the retail trade, adding up 0.6 pp to the total. In relation to the cumulative index in the year, until July the sector registered 14.4%, changing to 13.3% with August’s results.  In the cumulative result over the last 12 months, until July, the increase had been 13.6%, going to 13.4% in August.

In the extended retail trade, the Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces sector grew 16.8% compared to August 2020, its sixth consecutive positive rate, exerting the biggest positive contribution of the month to the extended retail.  The cumulative index up to August (24.5%) shows a loss of rhythm compared to July (25.9%).  The cumulative index over the last 12 months (14.4%) pointed out a growth in the pace of sales for the forth month in a row.

With a drop of 7.1% compared to August 2020, the Construction Material segment had its second negative rate after 13 months.  The cumulative index in the year through August (12.8%) shows a decrease in the sales pace compared to July (16.6%).  The cumulative index over the last 12 months, decreasing from 19.1% in July to 15.9% in August, also lost pace.

Sales drop in 24 out of 27 Federation Units compared with May

Between May 2021 and June 2021, the national average rate of sales of the retail trade retreated 3.1% in the seasonally-adjusted series, with negative figures prevailing in 24 out of 27 Federation Units, highlighted by: Rondônia (-19.7%), Paraná (-11.0%) and Mato Grosso (-10.9%). The positive side registered nine out 27 Federation Units, highlighted by: Ceará (2.0%), Maranhão (1.0%) and Roraima (0.3%).

For the same comparison, the negative change between July and August (-2.5%) in the extended retail trade was followed by 20 out of 27 Federation Units, highlighted by: Amapá (-9.2%), Paraná (-9.0%) and Rondônia (-7.4%). On the other hand, 12 out of 27 Federation Units recorded a growth, highlighted by: Pará (1.3%), Ceará (1.1%) and Sergipe (1.1%). Alagoas registered stability (0.0%) from July to August.

Compared to August 2020, national retail sales declined in 24 of the 27 Federation Units, with highlights for Amapá (-14.2%), Acre (-13.5%) and Paraíba (-13.2%) .  The three FUs with positive rates were Mato Grosso do Sul (5.9%), Espírito Santo (5.3%) and Piauí (3.7%).

In the extended retail trade, over August 2020, there were negative figures in 14 out of the 27 Federation Units, with a highlight to: Amapá (-14.3%), Amazonas (-10.7%) and Maranhão (-9.1%). Among the 13 Federation Units with positive rates, the highlights were Mato Grosso do Sul (15.9%), Espírito Santo (10.4%) and Pernambuco (9.3%).