11/19/2008 16h56
Commerce grows 1.2% in September
Folha de S. Paulo 11/19/2008
Still immune to the crisis, in September the retail commerce grew 1.2 % over August in the sales volume in the comparison free of seasonal effects - a 1.1% high. It was the seventh consecutive month of expansion, according to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). Compared to September of 2007, the advance was 9.4%, a little smaller than August's 9.9%. In spite of the increase in sales, experts heard by Folha expect a slowdown in the data of the last quarter, already signaled in October. The slowdown will have greater effect on durable goods, affected by the more expensive and rarer credit and by the skyrocketing of the exchange rate after the crisis worsening. Some branches already show smaller sales. It is the case of vehicles, whose car licensing (a thermometer of the sales) dropped 11.6% in October and 3.3% compared to October of 2007, according to the Fenabrave (National Federation of Distribution of Automotive Vehicles). This setting, however, has not appeared in September yet. Driven by promotions, sales of furniture and home appliances raised 3.1% from August to September. IT goods sales advanced 6.9%. As for vehicles', there was some resuming - 5.5% high - after a 3.4% fall in August. With below-average performance, sales of supermarket and other food stores raised 0.6% compared to August. According to IBGE's economist, Reinaldo Pereira, neither the crisis nor the interest rates high had relevant impacts in retail yet, whose consumption continues high. According to him, commerce was driven by promotions, especially vehicles' and home appliances'.
