Retail sales decline by 13 % in November: RAI

As per a survey by the Retailers Association of India, the festival season helped sales of appliances, apparel and packaged food and grocery in November, but total sales remained 13 per cent lower year-on-year.

The 10th edition of RAI’s survey was conducted among 68 retailers during November. The findings pointed to a steady month-on-month recovery in retail businesses across India even as sales in November fell 13 per cent on year.

The survey covered categories such as electronics, quick service restaurants, food and grocery, apparel and footwear, among others.

Retailers are moving towards 2021 with cautious optimism, said RAI, especially amid reports of the new strain of coronavirus in the UK along with night curfews and restrictions in India.

For the full year, several retail categories are expected to report a decline in business. The industry is hopeful of achieving about 85 per cent of pre-pandemic level business only in the next six months, RAI said in its statement.

November was marked by Diwali festivities and also coincided with the wedding season. Consumer durables and electronics category continued to recover with a sales growth of 12 per cent (y-o-y) while food and grocery retailers too indicated growth of 5 per cent, as per the survey.

Apparel and clothing retailers have remained under pressure with sales declining by 12 per cent. In October, apparel and clothing sales declined by 30 per cent year-on-year. QSR sales declined by 25 per cent in November compared to a year ago period, while that of beauty and personal care retailers fell by 29 per cent during the period. The category had reported a 55 per cent dip in sales in October.