In the seasonally-adjusted series, volume of sales in the retail trade changed -0.1% in February 2023 over January. The quarterly moving average was 0.2% in the quarter ended in February. Compared with February 2022, the retail trade grew 1.0%, accumulating a rise of 1.3% in the last 12 months and of 1.8% in the year.

Volume of sales in the extended retail trade, which also includes the activities of vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces and of construction material, rose 1.7% against the immediately previous month. As a result, the quarterly moving average was 0.9% in the quarter ended in February 2023. Compared with February 2022, the extended retail changed -0.2%, accumulating -0.5% in the last 12 months.

In February, six out of eight activities of the retail trade registered negative rates: Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-10.4%), fabric, apparel and footwear (-6.3%), other articles of personal and domestic use (-2.0%), furniture and domestic appliances (-1.7%), hyper and supermarket, food products, beverages and tobacco (-0.7%) and fuels and lubricants (-0.3%). The two groups that grew were pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic  articles and toiletries (1.4%) and books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (4.7%). On the other hand, the two additional activities of the extended retail recorded opposite paths: Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces  (1.4%) and construction material (-2.0%).

Trade advances 1.0% over February, though it retreats in six of eight activities

Compared with February 2022, volume of sales of the retail trade grew 1.0%, even falling in six out of eight activities: Other articles of personal and domestic use (-12.9%), books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-9.5%), fabric, apparel and footwear (-9.2%), office, computer and communication equipment and material (-4.5%), furniture and domestic appliances (-1.9%) and pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic  articles and toiletries (-0.7%).

In contrast, the only sectors to rise against February 2022 were hyper and supermarket, food products, beverages and tobacco (1.0%) and fuels and lubricants (19.7%).

In the extended retail trade, the three additional activities dropped: Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories (-1.5%), construction material (-5.9%) and wholesale specialized in food products, beverages and tobacco (-9.5%).

The activity of other articles of personal and domestic use retreated 12.9% over February 2022, the tenth consecutive drop and the most intense since September 2022 (-17.4%). As a result, the first bimester of 2023 dropped 9.4% against the first bimester of 2022, an intensity similar to the last bimesters: -9.2% in the fifth bimester and -9.5% in the sixth bimester of 2022. This sector accumulated a loss of 9.4% in the last 12 months until February, more intense than the result up to January (-8.5%).

The sales of books, newspapers, magazines and stationery fell 9.5% over February 2022, the first drop since April 2022, when it had been -0.9%. Having changed from 15.2% up to January to 3.8% in the reference month, the cumulative index in the year up to February showed a decrease in the growth pace. In the case of the cumulative index in 12 months, the February´s indicator recorded 10.6%, lower than that accumulated up to January 2023: 13.9%.

The activity of fabric, apparel and footwear dropped 9.2% in sales over February 2022, reversing the growth of 2.3% reported in January. This sector accumulated -3.5% of losses in the first two months of the year, a different result from the cumulative index up to January, which had been positive (2.3%). In the 12-month indicator, this activity changed from -0.5% up to January 2023 to -1.6% up to February, pointing out a decrease in the pace of sales.

Volume of sales of office, computer and communication equipment and material dropped 4.5% over February 2022, the first negative month after two months (0.1% in December 2022 and 14.8% in January 2023). In the first bimester of 2023, this sector accumulated 4,9% in relation to the same period in 2022 and it registered 3.7% in the last 12 months up to February, slightly above the cumulative rate up to January (3.4%).

Furniture and domestic appliances fell 1.9% in sales over February 2022, being the first month to record a negative figure after three consecutive months of rise (it registered 2.6% in November, 0.3% in December and 3.4% in January). This sector began the year with a positive rate in the first bimester (0.9% over the same period in 2022), a figure lower than that in January (3.4%).

The sector of Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic  articles and toiletries dropped 0.7% in sales over February 2022, against -7.6% in January 2023 against January 2022. This sector accumulated -4.3% in the first two months of the year, a month less intense in losses than January (-7.6%). In terms of the cumulative result over the last 12 months, this sector´s growth rate decreased by changing from 4.5% up to January to 3.7% up to February.

In February 2023, the group of hyper and supermarket, food products, beverages and tobacco increased 1.0% in sales over February 2022, the seventh consecutive month of rise in the inter-annual indicator. In the bimester, this sector accumulated a change of 1.6%, whereas the figure was positive in the last 12 months for the sixth month in a row: 0.1% in September, 0.8% in October, 1.1% in November, 1.4% in December 2022 and 1.6% in January 2023.

The sector of fuels and lubricants grew 19.7% over February 2022, the 13th rise in a row. This activity recorded a big advance in the second semester of 2022, after changes in the pricing policy of fuels, accumulating a rise of 23,2% in the year and of 20.9% in 12 months.

In the extended retail trade, the enterprises that trade vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories reported a drop of 1.5% in volume of sales against February 2022, reversing the January´s positive figure (4.4%) and resuming the downward trend that existed since June 2022 (-7.1%). The first bimester of 2023 grew 1.5% in relation to the same period last year, whereas the 12-month indicator closed February at -1.7%, similar to that registered up to January (-1.5%).

Sales of construction material dropped 5,9% against February 2022, a path opposite to that of January, when it grew 1.1%. It is worth highlighting that the revenue from resales in this sector has been dropping since July 2021, except for the months of March 2022 (1.2%) and January 2023, as mentioned before. The first bimester of 2023 also closed with a drop (-2.3%), like the cumulative indicator of the last 12 months up to February (-7.9%).

Still in the extended retail, the activity of wholesale specialized in food products, beverages and tobacco fell 9.5% in the comparison between February 2023 and February 2022, a result that stepped up the drop shown in January (-0.9%). The cumulative index in the year was -5.6%.

Sales have negative results in 14 of 27 FUs surveyed

In the seasonally-adjusted series, the national average rate of sales of the retail trade changed -0.1% between January and February 2023, with negative figures in 14 out of 27 Federation Units, highlighted by: Paraíba (-11.5%), Espírito Santo (-5.2%) and Piauí (-1.9%). On the other hand, 13 FUs rose between January and February, highlighted by: Roraima (2.7%), Maranhão (2.0%) and Amapá (1.8%).

In the same comparison in the extended retail trade, the growth between January and February 2023 was 1.7%, with positive figures in 22 out of 27 FUs, highlighted by: Pará (8.4%), Mato Grosso (6.8%) and Maranhão (6.0%). In contrast, five out of 27 FUs pressed negatively, highlighted by Paraíba (-7.9%), Sergipe (-2.8%) and Espírito Santo (-1.4%).

Keywords: Em fevereiro, vendas do varejo variam -0, 1%