Retail sales recorded a third consecutive decline in September

Retail sales in the metropolitan area, measured in terms of equivalent space, recorded a real annual decline of 2.4% in September, according to the monthly report prepared by the Department of House Studies national trade. Trade, Services and Tourism (CNC). Thus, three months of losses are recorded, ending the third quarter with a contraction of 2.2% in real terms, a situation that had not occurred since the third quarter of 2014.

Given these results, retail sales in the metropolitan area – Measures in terms of equivalent premises accumulate between January and September 2018 a marginal increase of 0.6% real. As for the moving quarter, the last period marks a sharp slowdown, triggering even more the negative trend that occurred after the 3% increase recorded in February-April.

In the ninth month, only the Home and Furniture Line recorded increases, while the other categories studied recorded declines of different magnitude. Apparel sales were virtually nil, with a decline in the real margin of 0.1% per year. Thus, the category ends the period from January to September with an increase of 3.9% in real terms

Within this group, only the category Clothing for women has recorded a growth, with an increase of 3.5% in annual figures in the ninth month of the year. . On the other hand, Man and Child Clothing changed the actual annual losses by 2.0% and 3.6% each. Based on these findings, men's and men's suits experienced an average increase of 8.5% and 1.9% between January and September, while children's clothing registered a real decrease of 1.2% in during the same period. Thus, all subcategories have so far recorded lower results than the same period in 2017.

The shoe's activity, meanwhile, accentuated its deceleration in September, with a decline actual annual rate of 5.4%, marking a negative third month. With this result, it has accumulated a marginal increase of 0.2%, well below the actual increase of 5.6% recorded over the same period in 2017.

In contrast, sales of in the ninth month of the year – a decline of 4.9% in real terms, after the 2.9% drop in August, ending the period from January to September with an increase of 1.5% in actual value.

Within the Electrical Appliances Division – In the previous two months, only the "Appliances" subcategory saw an increase, registering an annual real growth of 2.7%, while the White Line and Electronics recorded real annual decreases of 10.7% and 4.3% each. Finally, partly influenced by a broader basis of comparison. Based on these results, the three sub-categories accumulated real increases of 0.5%, 2.1% and 1.6% respectively from January to September

Home Line sales recorded a real annual increase 2.8%. in September, after two months of decline, ending the first nine months of the year with a real annual increase of 2.4%, in line with what had been recorded for the same period of 2017.

Furniture category marked the ninth month of the year year, a real annual increase of 4.8%. Sales in the category averaged a contraction of 1.8% in real terms between January and September, down from 6.8% in real terms in the same period of 2017.

activity of the traditional range of supermarkets showed in September decline of 2.8% of actual annual accumulation. Over the nine months of the year, it recorded a real annual decline of 1.4%. Within the sector, the grocery product component posted a real decline of 3.1% per year, down 1.8% in September. The percentages show a 2.4% year-on-year decline in real terms in the ninth month of the year, ending the period from January to September with a margin decrease of 0.7% in real terms. The result of this category in recent months has been influenced by higher inflation in the sector, particularly in the perishable goods sub-category.

Prospects

As a result of the aforementioned month, "the effect of the calendar". The month of September of this year has marked two working days less than the same month of 2017. Added to this are the festivities of the Fiestas Patrias, which this year had three holidays, against two in 2017, which caused an influx mbadive Santiago out of the capital. A lot of them took all week, which resulted in a much lower number of consumers in the MRI, "explained Bernardita Silva, director of CNC Studies.

According to the Economist, this decline in consumption was also influenced by the labor market situation and the zero growth of real wages, which led to a deceleration of the wage bill, which rose by 0.7% in real terms. in August 2018, which has accentuated its negative trend in recent years.

consumers (GFK-Adimark) has also slowed in recent months, after the rebound of the beginning of the year, again recording a decline in September, reaching its lowest score in twelve months