Overview
- CAME reported a 2.6% year-on-year decline in August SME retail sales, with a 2.2% seasonally adjusted fall from July that extends a run of monthly drops.
- Pharmacies were the only category with a year-on-year increase at 0.2%, while bazar and home goods fell 10.4%, perfumery 8.9%, and apparel 4.8%.
- Households concentrated spending on essentials and smaller baskets, in-person transactions outpaced online, and retailers leaned more on promotions and payment plans.
- Despite recent setbacks, year-to-date SME retail sales in 2025 remain 6.2% above the same period last year, according to CAME.
- CAC measured a 10.3% month-on-month rise in illegal street vending in Buenos Aires and an 11.1% increase in detected piracy cases, with Av. Avellaneda as a hotspot and food and beverages leading at 46.4%.