Overview
- Scentia reported a 4.4% year-over-year drop in September mass consumption and a 3.7% decline from August, with supermarket chains down 4.4% annually and 5.9% monthly, and pharmacies off 1.8% year over year.
- Alternative formats gained share: e-commerce rose 14.7% year over year and 1.1% month over month, independent convenience stores advanced 8.6%, and wholesalers increased 8.5%.
- Year to date through September remains up 1.8%, sustained by double-digit growth in e-commerce (+11.9%) and strong gains at wholesalers (+9.4%).
- CAME’s Mother’s Day survey showed a 3.5% real decline in SME retail sales, with a nominal average ticket of ARS 37,124 but 16.7% lower real spending, even as 83.5% of merchants offered discounts and installment plans.
- Five of six Mother’s Day categories fell in real terms, with only appliances and home goods up 0.6%; local data in Mar del Plata showed a 10.7% drop in units sold, and some chains have closed stores in response to weak demand.