South African retail sales dip 0.6% in December

Source: Pexels

The largest negative contributors to this decrease were retailers in: pharmaceuticals and medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries (-5.2% and contributing -0.3 of a percentage point); and hardware, paint and glass (-3.9% and contributing -0.3 of a percentage point).

In 2022, retail trade sales increased by 1.7% compared with 2021. Five of the seven types of retailer showed positive year-on-year growth rates over this period. The main contributor was retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (6.8% and contributing 1.1 percentage points).

Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales decreased by 0,6% in December 2022 compared with November 2022. This followed month-on-month changes of 1.0% in November 2022 and 0.2% in October 2022.

South African retail sales rise 0.4% in November

18 Jan 2023

Retail trade sales decreased by 0.2% in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with the fourth quarter of 2021. The largest negative contributors to this decrease were retailers in hardware, paint and glass (-5.2% and contributing -0.4 of a percentage point); pharmaceuticals and medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries (-4.7% and contributing -0.3 of a percentage point); and food, beverages and tobacco products in specialised stores (-2.4% and contributing -0.2 of a percentage point).

The largest positive contributor was retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (4.3% and contributing 0.8 of a percentage point).

Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales increased by 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with the third quarter of 2022. The largest contributor to this increase was retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (3.0% and contributing 0.5 of a percentage point).