Retail sales grew 17.5% year-on-year in last January and even registered a increase of 10.8% compared to the same month of 2020before the start of the pandemic, according to a report by the Argentine Confederation of Medium-sized Enterprises (CAME).
The annual growth, at constant prices, was explained by the boost provided by the tourist season in the country, according to CAME, while compared to December, sales marked a fall of 26.8%, but due to the seasonality of these months.
In this way, January was “an active month for businesses located in tourist cities, where large sales were recorded in products such as clothing, footwear, sportswear, toy stores, food and beverages or perfumeries, and the highest variation rates were for cities in the south of the country, which last year received very few tourists and this season reversed that situation”, they explained from the entity.
?SME retail sales were up 17.5% year-on-year, even compared to January 2020, before the pandemic, sales grew 10.8%
Read our full report at the link below ??https://t.co/yKEqViR76l#sales #SMEs #Commerce pic.twitter.com/qYgIyoNhxE
— CAME (@redcame) February 6, 2022
However, they pointed out that “regarding the profits obtained, only 41.5% of the businessmen consulted defined them as good or very good”, and pointed out that “what most complicated the trade were the price increases, especially in the food and drinks”.
In this category, sales in January reflected an annual increase of 12.5%, “stimulated by the tourist season and the greater predisposition to social gatherings”, although they fell 13%, at constant prices, in the monthly comparison.
From the SME Retail Sales Index prepared monthly by CAME, it also appears that, Compared to January 2020, food and beverage sales rose 10.2%.
Meanwhile, in the case of household appliances, electronic items, computers, cell phones and accessories, sales increased 3.6% annually and fell 12.2% monthly; and in the category of lingerie and accessories they increased 35.2% annually.
In addition, the most important increases occurred in stores on the Argentine Coast, Córdoba, Patagonia and Misiones, where vacation consumption was decisive.
The survey also noted that This is the first January in six years that the annual sales of these products rise.
In the clothing and sporting goods and recreation sector, sales increased by 29.2% annually, and in the toy and bookstore sector they increased by 31% annually.
For its part, the sale of tires, car and motorcycle parts grew 5.7% in that period, “despite the lack of merchandise”, and “the great tourist season encouraged sales, as happened in December, and compared to that month that was of high demand, sales fell only 3.5%”.
