South Africa's retail sales growth moderated to the lowest level in just over one-and- -a-half years in April, Statistics South Africa reported Wednesday.
Retail sales registered an annual increase of 1.3 percent in April, slower than the 2.5 percent rise in March. Moreover, this was the weakest growth since September 2024, when sales advanced 1.1 percent.
The slowdown in growth was largely due to a 0.7 percent fall in sales of textiles, clothing, and footwear and leather goods. The annual sales growth in household, furniture, appliances, and equipment eased to 8.8 percent from 10.8 percent. Meanwhile, sales of food, beverages, and tobacco in specialized stores recovered 0.4 percent.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.