In May 2023, the real retail sales decreased 5.1 percent and employed personnel grew 3.5 percent compared to the records of the same month last year.
excluding the fuel trade, the fall in real sales in the sector was 6.6 percent, according to the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane).
(Also read: Production of the manufacturing industry continued to fall in Colombia: -3.4% in May)
If the results of May 2023 are compared with those of May 2019, an increase of 15.1 percent is evident in the retail sales and in relation to employed personnel, a growth of 2.5 percent.
Twelve lines of merchandise registered negative annual variations in their sales
reais and, on the other hand, seven lines of merchandise registered positive annual variations in their sales.
Oscar Cabezas. WEATHER Archive
The greatest negative contributions occurred in the lines of motor vehicles and motorcyclesmainly for household use, other motor vehicles and motorcycles, hardware items, glass and paint, all contributing -4.2 percentage points to the total variation in retail trade.
The main positive contribution occurs in fuels for motor vehicles, contributing 0.2 percentage points.
In the period from January to May 2023, retail trade sales decreased 3.7 percent. In this period, 13 lines of merchandise registered negative variations in their real sales, while six lines registered positive variations.
(Also read: While exports sink, companies ask for new FTAs)
Cesar Melgarejo. TIME
For the month of May, the economic activities that most negatively contributed to the behavior of retail trade and vehicles were those related to new motor vehicle saleswith a negative variation of 14.5 percent.
Sales of other household items in specialized stores also had an influence, with a negative variation of 10 percent, which together contributed -3.6 percentage points to the variation for the period.
Personnel employed by retail trade in May increased 3.5 percent, as a result of the 7.1 percent increase in permanent staff, and the 3.4 percent decrease in direct temporary personnel; 4 percent of temporary staff hired through companies and 1.7 percent of apprentices.
Department store sales increased
In mayonnaise, the nominal retail sales in department stores and hypermarkets they reached 9.1 trillion pesos, which meant an increase of 10.4 percent, compared to May 2022.
Meanwhile, in the first five months of 2023, the nominal retail sales in department stores and hypermarkets they reached 44.2 trillion pesos, which meant an increase of 13.5 percent, compared to the same period in 2022.
If the nominal sales of department stores and retail hypermarkets in May 2023 are compared with those of May 2019, a variation of 63.8 percent is observed. For the first five months of 2023 compared to the same period of 2019, the variation was 68.4 percent.
