South Africa Retail Sales Growth Beats Forecasts

Retail Sales in South Africa surged by 3.4% from a year ago in July 2026, following a downwardly revised 1.1% rise in June and overshooting market forecasts of a 0.9% increase. This marked the strongest growth in retail activity since January, mainly on account of general dealers (3.2% and contributing 1.3 percentage points); all ‘other’ retailers (6.8%); retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (2.9%) and retailers in food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (4.8%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales climbed by 2.5%, after an upwardly revised 0.8% decrease in June. Retail trade sales rose by 2.2% in the three months ended July 2026 compared with the three months ended July 2025.

Retail sales in South Africa rose by 1.6% year-on-year in June 2026, slowing from a downwardly revised 2.2% increase in May and missing market expectations of a 2.3% advance. The slowdown was reflected in pharmaceuticals and medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries, where sales growth eased to 1.4% from 1.8% in May, while hardware, paint and glass and textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods recorded declines of 4% and 2.2%, respectively. More positively, robust sales were seen for household furniture, appliances and equipment (8.5% vs 7.6%); all other retailers (7.5% vs 6.4%); food, beverages & tobacco (3% vs -0.2%) and general dealers (1.8% vs 0.9%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales shrank by 0.6%, after a revised flat reading the month before. Retail trade sales increased by 1.7% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the second quarter of 2025.

Retail sales in South Africa increase 2.3% year-on-year in May 2026, accelerating from a downwardly revised 1.2% increase in the previous month. Retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods gave the largest contribution, where sales rebounded by 3.7% following a 1% decline in the previous month. Sales also remained steady among general dealers (1.0%, unchanged from April), while growth in pharmaceuticals, medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries retailers accelerated to 2.1% from 0.6%. Meanwhile, sales growth slowed for retailers of household furniture, appliances and equipment (8.1% vs. 8.6%), and declined for food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (-0.4% vs. -0.3%), and hardware, paint and glass retailers (-0.4% vs. 0.1%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales rose 0.1%, easing from a 0.9% increase in April. Over the three months to May, retail trade increased 2.0% compared with the same period a year earlier.