Brazilian retail sales fell last month by 3.7% in deflated terms compared to November 2024, still down 1.6% compared to October, despite the promotional movement led by the Black Friday period, according to data published this Thursday by the means of payment company Stone.
“The November figures indicate that the strength of the labor market and mass incomes has reached a ceiling,” Stone economist and researcher Rômullo Carvalho said in a press release.
“Even if employment remains strong, supporting basic consumption, macroeconomic brakes, notably high household debt and the cost of credit, have weighed more on the purchasing decision,” he added.
The survey was released days after rival Cielo reported a 1.7% decline in national retail sales in November compared to the same month last year, citing a slowdown in several segments of the industry during the period.
According to Stone’s research, compared to November of last year, no segment saw sales growth. The strongest points of the decline were the Fuels and Lubricants (-6.7%), Furniture and Household Appliances (-5.1%) and Hypermarkets, Supermarkets, Food, Beverages and Tobacco (-4%) segments.
The company also studied the behavior of retailers in the states and found only six that recorded sales growth in November: Paraíba (5.2%), São Paulo (1.7%), Sergipe (0.8%), Amapá (1%), Distrito Federal and Piauí (0.5%). According to Carvalho, this reflects a “still uneven picture of consumption between the regions of the country”.
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