| Actual | Previous | Revised | |
| Month over Month | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Year over Year | 2.3% | 1.5% | 1.9% |
Highlights
Retail sales grew 0.1 percent in July, slowing from a revised gain of 0.3 (0.2) percent in June on a seasonally-adjusted basis. Comparted to July of last year, sales increased 2.3 percent, after a 1.9 percent increase in June which was originally reported as a 1.5 percent gain.
A 3.5 percent drop in sales of information and communications equipment weighed on the overall result, but it should be noted that in June the sector gained 5.0 percent. Sales of food, beverages and tobacco fell 0.8 percent on the month. The largest gain came in the sale of miscellaneous goods which rose 1.6 percent followed by a 1.5 percent rise in sales of automotive fuel and a 2.0 percent increase from sales at service stations.
Year-on-year sales gains were led by a 3.8 percent increase at markets, mail order houses and the internet. Sales of information and communications equipment slowed to 2.8 percent when compared to July of last year. This slowdown comes after a 10.0 percent gain in May and a 13.2 percent increase in June.
For the most part, retail sales are resilient as seen by the eleven consecutive gains in the year-on-year rate.