reported that domestic retail sales recorded a significant 5.5% growth in January of this year compared to the same month in 2024, reaching revenues of S/4.087 billion (US$1.113 billion).
"Nine consecutive months of positive results have been recorded in the domestic retail sector. This performance was primarily boosted by the recovery of domestic demand (+5.9%), particularly private consumption," Production Minister Sergio Gonzalez highlighted.
An analysis of various segments shows that the supermarket and hypermarket subsector registered a 6.9% increase in sales, driven by higher demand for food products (+8.1%), beverages & tobacco (+4.8%), and household goods (+9.3%).
The department store subsector saw a 5.5% increase in sales, mainly due to higher demand for clothing and footwear (+7.2%), furniture (+10.6%), and household goods (+3.2%).
Meanwhile, the hardware stores and home improvement products recorded a 2.5% increase, primarily due to higher sales of furniture (+33.8%) and hardware items (+5.4%).
Similarly, the home equipment segment reported a 5.7% increase in sales.
At the product level, the strongest growth was seen in furniture sales (+33.6%), diverse products (+23.6%), and household goods (+4.4%).
Lastly, the pharmacy and drugstore sector grew by 5.4%, driven by increased demand for pharmaceutical and medicinal products (+5.1%) and personal care items (+6.5%).
In contrast, the books, newspapers, and stationery sector experienced a 3.8% decline, attributed to reduced sales of bookstore products (-3.4%) and diverse items (-8.8%), such as toys and technology products.