Monthly Survey of Trade
Retail sales grow 0.6% and hit new record in February
April 15, 2026 09h00 AM | Last Updated: April 16, 2026 11h21 AM
In February 2026, the volume of retail sales in the country grew 0.6% compared to January, in the seasonally adjusted series. With this performance, the sector renews the record it had reached in the previous month in the time series, which began in 2000. The data are from the Monthly Trade Survey (PMC), released this Wednesday (15) by the IBGE.
The quarterly moving average index for retail sales stood at 0.2% in the quarter ending in February. The sector has seen other positive results at the end of last year. “From December to January, the result was 0.4%, and before that, we were experiencing a decline. But in the last six months, this was the only negative result, the December result,” highlights Cristiano Santos, manager of the PMC.
Four of the eight categories surveyed showed sales growth in February: Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (2.4%), Fuels and lubricants (1.7%), Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (1.1%), and Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles (0.3%). The declines were seen in Office, computer and communication Equipment and materials (-2.7%), Other personal and household articles (-0.6%), Textiles, wearing apparel and footwear (-0.3%), and Furniture and appliances (-0.1%). Mr. Santos explains that the positive result this year was driven by "the return to prominence of activities offering basic retail products, especially hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages, and tobacco, which have a significant weight in the overall indicator."
In a month-to-month comparison, the extended retail trade showed an overall increase of 1.0%, with two positive results per category: Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories (1.6%) and Construction materials (0.5%). With the February volume, the extended retail trade also reached its highest level in the time series.
Five of the eight retail activities had negative results compared to February 2025
In a comparison between February 2026 and the same month last year, retail trade grew by 0.2%. Five of the eight activities surveyed experienced a drop in sales: Other personal and household goods (-5.3%), Textiles, wearing apparel and footwear (-5.0%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-4.1%), Furniture and household appliances (-1.2%), and Fuels and lubricants (-0.2%). On the other hand, the overall indicator was driven by three activities that showed positive results: Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles (2.1%), Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (1.5%), and Office, computer and communiction equipment and materials (0.2%). Therefore, the positive performance of these activities outweighed the drop in sales of the other five retail activities.
Considering the extended retail trade, for the same comparison, there was a negative change (-2.2%). The three additional activities registered a decline: Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories (-7.8%), Construction materials (-8.5%), and Wholesale specialized in food products, beverages and tobacco (-1.0%).
Retail trade registers sales growth for 21 consecutive two-month periods
The first two-month period of 2026, compared to the same period of the previous year, showed growth of 1.5% for retail trade. This performance represents the 21st consecutive two-month period in positive territory. The last two-month period to register a negative result was the fourth of 2022 (-2.0%).
Contrary to what occurred in retail trade, the extended retail sector, in the first two-month period of 2026, fell 0.5% compared to the same period of 2025.
Retail has positive rates in 17 Federation Units
Compared to January of this year, retail trade had positive results in 17 of the 27 Federation Units. Paraná (2.9%), Bahia (2.7%), and Minas Gerais (2.5%) were the highlights. On the other hand, 9 FUs showed negative results. The largest drops were in Mato Grosso (-3.6%), Maranhão (-3.2%), and Amazonas (-3.2%). Rio de Janeiro (0.0%) showed stability.
In the extended retail trade, the change between January and February 2026 also had positive results in 17 FUs. The best results were recorded in Mato Grosso do Sul (6.2%), Bahia (5.4%), and Paraná (3.7%). 10 FUs suffered a decline. Pará (-2.1%), Amazonas (-1.9%), and Tocantins (-1.5%) had the most pronounced negative results.
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