Overview
- Scentia reports a 1.9% month‑on‑month drop in August, led by kiosks and neighborhood stores (-4.4%), pharmacies (-2.6%), autoservicios (-2.2%) and wholesalers (-0.9%).
- Modern channels outperformed on the month, with e‑commerce up 5.2% and chain supermarkets up 2.2%, even though both show mixed interannual results.
- On a year‑over‑year basis, mass consumption rose 4% and is up 1.2% year‑to‑date, with e‑commerce posting a 13.3% annual gain, while chain supermarkets fell 5.1% and wholesalers 8.1%.
- Category performance was uneven: perishables (+9.8% y/y), impulse items (+9.6%) and food (+6.2%) advanced, while hygiene and cosmetics (-3.1% y/y) and alcoholic beverages (-2%) declined.
- Other trackers show differing trends—Focus Market/Scanntech reports a 4.4% monthly rise and NielsenIQ a 3.1% annual increase—keeping the strength of any recovery uncertain and feeding political debate highlighted by CEPA’s wage‑consumption analysis in Buenos Aires.