China Retail Sales Miss Expectations

2026-09-15 02:06 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

China’s retail sales rose 0.4% year-on-year in August 2026, slowing from a 0.6% gain in July and falling short of market expectations of a 0.8% increase.

Big-ticket automobile sales continued to decline, falling 18.5%, while furniture (-7.9%), building materials (-11.8%), and gold and silver jewelry sales (-17.5%) also dropped.

Excluding automobiles, retail sales grew 2.5%.

Meanwhile, communication equipment sales surged 27.3%, alongside strong gains in tobacco and alcohol (+12.5%), cultural and office supplies (+5.8%), and cosmetics (+4.9%).

By segment, catering revenue increased 1.1%, while goods sales rose 0.3%.

Online retail sales of goods advanced 4.3% in the first eight months of the year.

On a monthly basis, retail sales fell 0.13% in August after edging up 0.01% in the previous period.

From January to August, retail sales increased 1.1% year-on-year, while sales excluding automobiles rose 2.7%.



News Stream
China Retail Sales Miss Expectations
China’s retail sales rose 0.4% year-on-year in August 2026, slowing from a 0.6% gain in July and falling short of market expectations of a 0.8% increase. Big-ticket automobile sales continued to decline, falling 18.5%, while furniture (-7.9%), building materials (-11.8%), and gold and silver jewelry sales (-17.5%) also dropped. Excluding automobiles, retail sales grew 2.5%. Meanwhile, communication equipment sales surged 27.3%, alongside strong gains in tobacco and alcohol (+12.5%), cultural and office supplies (+5.8%), and cosmetics (+4.9%). By segment, catering revenue increased 1.1%, while goods sales rose 0.3%. Online retail sales of goods advanced 4.3% in the first eight months of the year. On a monthly basis, retail sales fell 0.13% in August after edging up 0.01% in the previous period. From January to August, retail sales increased 1.1% year-on-year, while sales excluding automobiles rose 2.7%.
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