Sales in commerce grew by 3.0% year-on-year in July, August, and September compared to the same months of the previous year, but slowed by 0.8% compared to the third quarter of 2024, according to INE.
The commerce, maintenance, and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles increased by 6.1% year-on-year, against 5.8% in the previous quarter and 0.8% in the third quarter of 2024, while retail trade excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles accelerated by 5.2%, compared to 4.8% sequentially and 3.7% a year earlier.
Conversely, wholesale trade excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles grew by 0.5%, compared to 1.3% in the second quarter and 4.9% in the same period last year.
Overall, and when rounded, retail trade contributed 1.9 points, automobile trade 0.9 points, and wholesale trade 0.2 points.
In September alone, the business volume index in commerce recorded a year-on-year growth of 2.3%, slowing from 3.4% in August.
Automobile commerce decelerated by 7.8 percentage points, with a year-on-year variation of 1.9%, and wholesale trade increased by 0.3%, compared to 0.8% in August.
Within retail trade, which grew by 5.0% year-on-year from 4.4% in the previous month, food products slowed by 1.0 percentage points from August, to 3.7%, and non-food products accelerated by 1.8 percentage points, to 6.0%.
Monthly, the total index fell by 1.4%, after rising 1.4% in August.
By division, and compared to August, automobile commerce fell by 0.4%, wholesale trade decreased by 3.0%, and retail trade gained 0.2%, against 6.4%, 1.8%, and -0.9%, respectively, in the previous month.
The employment and remuneration indices recorded year-on-year variations of -0.4% and 5.0% in September, compared to -0.1% and 5.4% in August.
