Chennai: With festive cheer spreading, retail sales in September grew faster compared to the same month last year and was closer to the pre-pandemic level in September 2019.
According to the Retailers Association of India, retail sales in September 2021 were at 96 per cent of the pre-pandemic levels of September 2019. Last month saw a 26 per cent rise in sales over September 2020.
All the categories of consumer goods have recorded positive growth when compared to September 2020. In August, sports goods and jewellery were lagging behind.
When compared to September 2019, categories like consumer durables & electronics, food & groceries and quick service restaurants (QSR) have fully recovered and are indicating double-digit growth on pre-pandemic levels. Sports goods and apparel & clothing have also started to pick up pace as socialising and offices have resumed and some level of normalcy has returned. However, categories such as beauty and wellness, which include salons, footwear and jewellery are yet to catch up to the pre-Covid-19 levels.
In August, food & grocery and QSR were the only two categories to record positive growth over pre-pandemic levels. “The retail sector has started showing signs of recovery with businesses indicating sales that are almost equal to the pre-pandemic levels. With consumer sentiments looking up, Dussehra and Diwali could well be the turnaround time for retail businesses,” Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India said.
Emkay Global Financial Services too found a sharp uptick in retail, led by reopening and pent-up demand: Jewellery, QSR and apparel retail have seen stronger recovery.
