Colombia's retail sales increased 8.5 percent year-on-year in July 2019, following an 8.5 percent rise in the previous month, as 15 out of 16 major retail categories recorded gains. It was the biggest increase in retail trade since November last year, mainly due to food & non-alcoholic beverages (7.7 percent); computer and telecommunications equipment for personal or domestic use (24 percent); motor vehicles and motorcycles (12 percent); fuels for vehicles (4.7 percent); spare parts, parts, accessories and lubricants for vehicles (5.6 percent); home appliances, furniture (10.2 percent); clothing and footwear (4.6 percent) and other products for personal or domestic use (10.8 percent). On a monthly basis, retail sales advanced 2.8 percent, rebounding from a 0.3 percent fall in June. Retail Sales YoY in Colombia averaged 5.15 percent from 2000 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 23.37 percent in April of 2011 and a record low of -7.59 percent in September of 2009.
Retail Sales YoY in Colombia is expected to be 5.70 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Retail Sales YoY in Colombia to stand at 3.50 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Colombia Retail Sales YoY is projected to trend around 4.30 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.