Overview
- Reports published Thursday show mass‑consumption volumes in Argentina fell again in September, with Scentia reporting a 1.2% year‑on‑year drop and a 1% fall versus August that leaves a 2.7% decline for the first nine months of 2026.
- INDEC data for August confirm sustained weakness in traditional channels, with supermarket volumes down 3.7% year‑on‑year and wholesale autoservicios down 3.6%, marking multiple consecutive months of declines.
- NielsenIQ’s bimonthly measure recorded a larger fall—volumes down 5.8% for August–September—underscoring that different measures vary in size but agree the trend is downward.
- Average prices for mass‑consumption items rose about 27% year‑on‑year, which has increased nominal receipts even as households buy fewer units, and sales have reallocated toward fast‑growing e‑commerce and pharmacies.
- The result is an uneven recovery that hurts workers and store traffic in supermarkets and mayoristas, with the main risks ahead being deeper volume losses in beverages and perishables and further channel shifts that could reshape retail jobs and margins.