Brazilian retailers show tentative signs of overcoming the coronavirus crisis. In June, sales were down 24.1% on a year-over-year basis, according to an index developed by acquirer Cielo, which gathers data from 1.5 million retailers. The result, although deep into negative ground, showed an improvement over figures seen in April (-36.5%) and in May (-30.5%).
-30.3%
was the drop in retain sales compared to the same period last year. If the whole semester is considered, the decrease was 16% on the same basis of comparison. Both numbers were the worst in the index’s record, which started in 2014.
Cielo attributes the improvement in June to the gradual resumption of trade activities in Brazil. “The sectors that attract the most attention are Furniture, Appliances and Department Stores and Clothing”, said in a statement the executive superintendent of Intelligence at Cielo, Gabriel Mariotto.
In the case of the segments of tourism and restaurants, Cielo points out that there was a recovery in June, but that sales are still well below the values registered a year earlier.
