El consumo minorista se retrajo en agosto y dejó una señal adversa para el cierre del año

El consumo en supermercados y autoservicios mayoristas retrocedió en agosto, tanto en la comparación interanual como respecto de julio. Según los datos del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos, losObject fell 3,7% and 3,6%, respectivamente, a precios constantes. En ambos canales, el resultado prolonga unaHIPER tendency negativa registrada durante buena parte del año.

Ocho meses de caída en supermercados

Las ventas de supermercados a precios constantes ENVIRONMENT 3,7% en agosto frente to the same month of 2025 and accumulate eight consecutive annual declines. From January to August, the fall was 2,8%. The seasonally adjusted series also declined 0,8% from July, the third consecutive monthly drop. The previous months had fallen 1,3% in June and 0,7% in July, confirming that the rebound in April and May did not hold.

The annual contraction showed considerable variation during 2026, with monthly declines ranging from 0,7% to 5,1%. Nevertheless, nominal turnover continued to rise in several important categories: meat posted an increase of 38,5%, fruit and vegetables 32,6%, cleaning and perfumery products 25,6%, and prepared foods 25,1%. Beverages advanced 11,5%, while electronics and household goods registered 13,8%.

The average supermarket ticket reached 35.569 pesos, 15,8% above August 2025. At the same time, the workforce declined to 95.355 workers, 4,5% fewer than a year earlier. The combination of higher prices and fewer employees did not prevent the decline in volume sold.

Mayoristas: otro mes en rojo

Wholesale self-service stores also recorded a contraction in real sales, down 3,6% year on year in August. The cumulative decline from January to August reached 2,9%, while the channel completed its seventh consecutive negative month. January, with a 1,3% increase, remains the only positive annual variation of the year.

The wholesale channel reported total nominal turnover of 395.434 million pesos, up 23,7% from August 2025. The strongest nominal increases were recorded in fruit and vegetables, at 35,5%; dairy products, at 30,2%; and warehouse groceries, at 29,8%. Electronics and household goods were the only category to decline in nominal terms, with a 1% fall.

• The average wholesale ticket was 47.067 pesos, 29% higher than a year earlier.
• The workforce fell to 12.863 workers, a 6,8% reduction from August 2025.
• Real sales declined 3,6% year on year in August and 2,9% between January and August.

Shopping centers advanced, but did not reverse the accumulated decline

Shopping centers presented a different result. Real sales grew 3,7% year on year in August and rose 3,3% from July, marking the second consecutive monthly improvement. Even so, sales between January and August remained 1,2% below the same period of the previous year. Total nominal turnover reached 698.563 million pesos, an increase of 24,3% compared with August 2025.

The August data show a market in which consumers continue paying more, according to the nominal indicators, but purchasing less in terms of volume. Supermarkets and wholesale stores were still affected by the cumulative decline, whereas shopping centers achieved a short-term recovery that has yet to erase their negative balance for the year.