In January 2022, volume of retail trade sales increased by 0.8% against the previous month, in the seasonally-adjusted series, after a decrease of 1.9% in December 2021. The quarterly moving average retreated -0.2%.

In the non-adjusted series, against January 2021, retail trade fell by 1.9%, sixth negative rate in a row. The cumulative index in the last twelve months recorded an increase of 1.3%, similar to the increase recorded up to December (1.4%).

As for extended retail trade, which includes Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces and construction material, volume of sales changed by -0.3% from December. The moving average was 0.2%. Against January 2021, extended retail trade dropped 1.5%, sixth negative result in a row. The cumulative index in 12 months increased by 4.6%.

Five of the eight retail activities were negative in January

The rise of 0.8% in volume of sales of retail trade from December to January, in the seasonally adjusted series, had a predominance of negative rates, once five of the eight activities surveyed, since five of the eight activities surveyed recorded negative changes: Fabric, apparel and footwear (-3.9%); Books, newspaper, magazines and stationery (-2.0%); Furniture and household appliances (-0,6%); Fuels and lubricants (-0,4%); and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (-0.1%).

On the other hand, the sectors of Office, computer and communication equipment and material (0.3%), Pharmaceuticals, medical and orthopedic articles and toiletries (38%), and Other personal and household articles (9.4%) recorded positive results.

The two additional activities that compose extended retail trade also recorded negative results from December to January: Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces dropped 1.9% and Construction material changed by -0.3%.

Retail tarde dropped 1.9% from January 2021

Against January 2021, retail trade dropped 1.9%, having reached five of the eight activities surveyed: Furniture and household articles (-11.4%), Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-7.1%), Fuels and lubricants (-6.7%), Other personal and household articles (-6.0%), and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (-1.0%). Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (23.0%), Pharmaceuticals, medical and orthopedic articles and toiletries (10,1%) and Fabric, apparel and footwear (2.6%) recorded positive results. Considering retail trade , Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces increased by 2.8% from January 2021, whereas Construction material fell by 7.8%.

Furniture and household appliances, with a decrease of 11.4% from January 2021, recorded its eight consecutive decrease in this comparison. The sector accounted for the biggest contribution to the retail trade rate, accounting for -1.1 p.p out of a total -1.9%. As for the indicator that compares the last twelve months, the sector also has a cumulative decrease (-7.5%), a result that has been negative since October 2021, when it was -0.7%.

The sector of Office, computer and communication equipment and material, in the interannual comparison, recorded a decrease for the seventh consecutive month (-7.1% from January 2021), with an expansion of negative results, in the last three months (in November and December and the results were -5.6% and -6.4%, respectively). In terms of the cumulative index in the year, with a change from -2.0% up to December 2021 to -1.4% in January, the sector recorded deceleration of decrease.

The activity Fuels and lubricants dropped 6.7% against January 2021. The interannual result for the sector has been negative since September 2021, when the index was -4.2%. As for the cumulative index in 12 months, which changed from 0.3% up to December to 0.4% in January, the sector kept its intensity of increase.

Other personal and household articles, which encompasses department stores, glasses’ shops, jewelry shops, sporting goods stores, toy stores, etc, totaled -6.0% from January 2021, biggest decrease since October 2021 (-7.2%) and sixth decrease in a row. The interannual result places this activity as the second biggest negative contribution to the overall retail trade rate, amounting tp -0.9 p.p out of a total -1.9%. On the other hand, the cumulative indicator of the last 12 months has still registered increase (11.3% in January 2022) since August 2020.

With a decrease of 1.0% against January 2021, the sector of Hypermarkets and supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco completed, in January 2022, 12 consecutive months with negative changes. The sector, which recorded an increase during 2020, had its negative positive rate in January 2021 (1.3%). In comparison with the last 12 months, the activity also had a cumulative decrease of 2.8% up to January 2022,a result that has kept the level of -2.6% cumulative up to December 2021.

The activity of Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery recorded an increase of 23.0% in comparison with January 2021, biggest positive rate since May 2021, when the figure was 59.3%. Despite the increase in the interannual indicator, the sector had, in 12 months, -4.0% with the latest positive result recorded in February 2014 (0.7%).

Pharmaceuticals, medical and orthopedic articles and toiletriesrecorded an increase of 10.1% in the comparison between the month and the same month a year ago, third increase in a row and the biggest in the last three months (against 2.5% in November and 7.7% in December). The activity also accounted for the biggest contribution, with positive results, to the global inerannual retail trade indicator: 1.1 p.p. In terms of cumulative results in the last 12 months, with a change from 9.8% up to December 2021 to 9.6% up to January 2022, the secots remaisnstable in terms of itensity of increase.

After three consecutive months of decrease in the interannual indicator (-2.0%, -4.4% and -1.0% in October, November and December 2021, respectively), the sector of Fabric, apparel and footwear recorded an increase of 2.6% in January 2022. The activity was among the ones with most cumulative losses in the initial period of the Covid 19 pandemic, with later recovery in 2021, when it started to have cumulative gains in the indicator in the last 12 months, in a scenario that was kept in January 2022 (16.1%).

In extended retail trade, the activity Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces with an increase of 2.8% in sales against January 2021. As a result, the sector has recorded increases for three consectutive months, in the interannual basis, having registered te positive rates in the last 11 months (the only exception was the month of October 2021, which dropped 4.0% against October 2020). As for cumulative results in 12 months, with a change from 14.9% up to December to 17.0% in January, the sector also recorded acceleration of increase.

Closing extended retail, the activity Construction Material recorded a decrease of 7.8% in sales from January 2021, seventh drop in a row. The sector was also a highlight due to its increase in the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, presenting positive results in the interannual indicator from June 2020 (22.6%) to June 2021 (5.4%), having been on a downward trend since then. In the last twelve months, the cumulative figure is 2.9%, lowest figure for this indicator since July 2020 (2.8%), pointing to a deceleration of increase for the sector.

Retail has positive results in 15 Federation Units from December to January

From December 2021 to January 2022, in the seasonally adjusted series, the national average rate of retail trade sales was of 0.8%, with positive figures in 15 out of 27 Federation Units, with a highlight to: Rio de Janeiro. (3.0%), Alagoas (2.8%) and Pernambuco (2.5%). Accounting for negative results, there were 11 of the 27 Federation Units, highlighted by Amapá (-3.7%), Rio Grande do Norte (-1.8%) and Amazonas (-1.7%). Minas Gerais, in this comparison, recorded null change (0.0%). For the same comparison, in extended retail trade, there was a change of -0.3% with positive results in 14 of the 27 Federation Units, with a highlight to: Sergipe (6.1%), Bahia (4.1%) and Pernambuco (3.7%). On the other hand, Amazonas (-5.6%), Rio Grande do Norte (-3.2%) and Amapá (-3.1%) were the highlight in the 13 Federation Units that recorded negative changes.

Against January 2021, the decrease of 1.9% of retail trade sales had a predominance of negative rates also for Federation Units (16 of the 27), being the main highlights: Amapá (-10.8%), Sergipe (-8.9%) and Federal District (-7.8%). The other 11 Federation Units recorded positive results in the interannual comparison, with a highlight to: Amazonas (35.3%), Roraima (7.5%) and Espírito Santo (7.2%). In the extended retail trade, negative figures prevailed in 20 out of 27 Federation Units, with a highlight to: Amapá (-12.1%), the Federal District (-11.3%) and Paraíba (-11.2%). On the other hand, 10 of 27 Federation Units accounted for positive results, with a highlight to: Amazonas (34.7%), Pernambuco (15.4%) and Roraima (8.7%).