Argentine retail sales rise 0.3% in September

Retail sales at Argentine small and medium-sized businesses rose 0.3% year on year at constant prices in September, according to data published on October 4, 2026, by the Argentine Confederation of Medium Enterprises (CAME). On a seasonally adjusted basis, retail sales dropped 1.2% compared with August. Across the first nine months of the year, sales accumulated a 2.1% retraction relative to the same period in 2025.

CAME reported that five of the seven surveyed sectors posted year-on-year growth in September. Textiles and apparel led the gains with a 5% increase, followed by footwear and leather goods at 3.5%, and hardware, electrical materials, and construction materials at 3.3%. Pharmacy sales grew 1.5% and perfumery increased 0.7%. Conversely, bazaars, decoration, home textiles, and furniture dropped 3.4%, while food and beverages declined 3.1%.

Online sales from brick-and-mortar stores expanded 19.4% year on year and 8.7% month on month. However, CAME noted that the headline index includes all channels, meaning digital gains did not offset physical store weakness. When evaluating current conditions, 50.2% of surveyed retailers said their business is unchanged from a year ago, 44.3% reported worsening conditions, and 5.6% reported improvements. Looking ahead to the next 12 months, 41.8% expect conditions to improve, 44.1% project stability, and 14.1% anticipate a deterioration, while 55.7% consider it an unfavorable time to invest.