Retail registers sharpest plunge since 2003 in February
According to IBGE, among the segments that contributed to the outcome are supermarkets and hypermarkets. 
Retail has posted a 3.1% reduction in the volume of sales in February from the same period last year—the worst figure for the sector since 2003, when the fall stood at 5.7%. Data were released on Tuesday (Apr 14) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
According to IBGE researcher Juliana Paiva, among the segments that contributed to the outcome are supermarkets and hypermarkets. “The 1.8% reduction in those segments was driven by the income of workers, which, according to [IBGE's] Monthly Survey on Employment, decreased 1.5% in the last 12 months.”
As for expanded retail, which also covers construction and autos, the 10.3% contraction is the most significant in this historic series, initiated in January 2001.
“There's been an influence from vehicles, parts, and components, with a drop of 23.7%, driven by an unfavorable economic context, the lower credit offer, the number of business days in February this year, which was lower than in 2014,” Paiva added.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Retail registers sharpest plunge since 2003 in February
