Colombia Retail Sales Growth Accelerates in April

Retail sales in Colombia rose 14.9% year-on-year in April 2026, beating forecasts of 11.4% and accelerating from a 13.4% increase in March. Retail activity was broadly positive, with 18 merchandise categories posting higher real sales and only one recording a decline. The strongest contributions came from motor vehicles and motorcycles mainly for household use (49.8%), other motor vehicles and motorcycles (43.8%), and information technology and telecommunications equipment for personal or household use (20.9%). In contrast, sales of fuels for motor vehicles fell 0.3%. Excluding fuel sales, real retail sales increased 18.5%.

Retail sales in Colombia rose 13.4% year-on-year in March 2026, beating forecasts of 10.1% and accelerating from a 10.9% increase in February. Growth was broad-based, with all 19 retail categories posting gains. The strongest contributions came from motor vehicles and motorcycles mainly for household use (35.8%), other motor vehicles and motorcycles (34.8%), and computer and telecommunications equipment for personal or household use (26.8%). Excluding fuel sales, real retail sales advanced 15.6%. Employment in the retail sector also increased 1.9% from a year earlier. In the first quarter of 2026, retail sales rose 10.8% compared with the same period in 2025.

Retail sales in Colombia rose 10.9% year-on-year in February 2026, surpassing market expectations of a 9.8% increase and accelerating from 7.8% in January. Growth was broad-based, with all 19 retail categories posting gains. The strongest contributions came from motor vehicles and motorcycles for household use, which surged 26.6%, followed by computer and telecommunications equipment for personal or home use, up 39.2%, and other motor vehicles and motorcycles, which increased 21.7%. In the first two months of the year, retail sales grew by 9.3% compared to the same period a year earlier.