Retail sales closed 2025 with an increase of 1.6%. Between November and December 2025, sales in the sector varied negatively by 0.4%. The quarterly moving average changed positively by 0.3% in the quarter ended in December.
The data comes from the Monthly Trade Survey (PMC), released this Friday (13) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
According to the research manager, Cristiano Santos, retail trade closed 2025 with growth compared to 2024, but with a smaller amplitude. He explains that, last year, accumulated gains reached 4.1%, a very strong growth. In 2025, it closed at 1.6%, more or less at the same level of growth recorded in previous years. In 2023, it was 1.7%; in 2022, 1%; and in 2021, 1.4%.
“Growth in 2025 was reasonably distributed, driven by pharmaceuticals, furniture and household appliances and office, computer and communication equipment, the latter strongly influenced by the strong devaluation of the dollar against the real, which helped sales of imported electronic products, such as cell phones and laptops”, assessed Santos.
According to IBGE, in expanded retail trade, which includes, in addition to retail, the activities of vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces, construction material and specialized wholesale in food products, beverages and tobacco, sales volume in December 2025 fell 1.2% compared to November, after rising 0.6%. As a result, expanded retail trade closed 2025 accumulating an increase of 0.1%.
According to the research manager, expanded retail did not expand in 2025 compared to 2024, varying only 0.1%. “This is due to the losses of important sectors, such as the resale of vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces (which had a very strong 2024) and wholesale specialized in food products, beverages and tobacco, which saw a drop in the distribution of cereals and legumes, products normally offered in Ceasas”, stated Santos.
Seven of the 11 activities surveyed, in expanded retail, closed the year positively : pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles (4.5%), furniture and household appliances (4.5%), office, IT and communication equipment and material (4.1%), other articles for personal and domestic use (2.2%), fabrics, clothing and footwear (1.3%), hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (0.8%) and fuels and lubricants (0.6%).
“On the negative side, the four activities that suffered a drop in 2025 were vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces (-2.9%), specialized wholesale in food products, beverages and tobacco (-2.3%), books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-0.9%) and construction material (-0.2%)”, states the IBGE.
