Supermarkets and food products grew 1,7% in August in the retail sector.
Supermarkets were the only sector to grow, while other retail segments registered a decline.
247 - Sales in the hypermarket, supermarket, and food products sector grew 1,7% in August, according to a survey by Stone, as reported in the column by Laura Jardim, from O Globo. The result represents the only expansion among the main retail sectors during the period.
Despite this progress, a comparison with August of last year shows a 1,1% decrease, reflecting the decline in families' purchasing power, impacted by high levels of debt and a loss of dynamism in the labor market.
Supermarkets resist the contraction in commerce.
While the food and beverage sector showed growth, other retail segments shrank in August. The Construction Materials sector led the losses, with a drop of 4,3%, followed by Books, Newspapers, Magazines and Stationery (-3,6%).
Also registering a decline were Fuels and Lubricants (-1%), Pharmaceuticals and other items for personal and domestic use (-0,7%), as well as Textiles, Clothing and Footwear, and Furniture and Appliances (-0,3%).
Widespread decline in other segments
In a 12-month comparison, all sectors showed a decline. The worst performance was in the Books, Newspapers, Magazines and Stationery segment (-6,8%), followed by Furniture and Home Appliances (-6,7%) and Construction Materials (-5%).
Other sectors also had negative results: Other Personal and Household Goods (-3,1%), Textiles, Clothing and Footwear (-2,1%), Pharmaceutical Products (-1,9%) and Fuels and Lubricants (-0,5%).
