Argentina's retail trade increased 22.6 percent year-on-year in February 2019, slowing from a 25.0 percent rise in the previous month. Sales growth eased for sports accessories & clothing (55.0 percent vs 55.3 percent in January); footwear & leather goods (31.1 percent vs 34.5 percent); toys (18.0 percent vs 21.7 percent); bookstore & stationery (33.7 percent vs 41.0 percent), and furnishings, decoration & textiles for home (4.6 percent vs 19.1 percent). In contrast, sales of electronics & appliances declined less (-10.9 percent vs -17.4 percent). On real terms, retail sales dropped 17.6 percent (vs -15.1 percent in January), falling for the eighth straight month. Retail Sales YoY in Argentina averaged 21.51 percent from 1998 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 72.20 percent in January of 2003 and a record low of -40.30 percent in January of 2002.
Retail Sales YoY in Argentina is expected to be 7.00 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 Argentina to stand at 10.00 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Argentina Retail Sales YoY is projected to trend around 15.00 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.