As the economic indicators do not improve and the forecast for the current month is not more optimistic, the The drop in consumption in sales centers deepens, due to the drop in purchasing power that generated the spike in prices in the income of middle sectorswhich are the ones that usually drive mass consumption, as anticipated by the consulting firm Scentia.
In medium and small companies the outlook is not more auspicious, since the Argentine Chamber of Medium Enterprises (CAME) He reported that the level of sales of these businesses fell 28.5% in January compared to the same period last year.
Totally negative January indicators
According to the latest report for clients of the Consultant 1816which compiles a series of real economy data They were totally negative in relation to the beginning of the year 2023.
“Everything falls between 15% and 30% year-on-year”summarized the consultant’s report on the payroll that includes both data and car sales and motorcycles, cement dispatches, sales of construction supplies, retail sales and the check tax collection.
Food sales in small businesses fell 37.1% year-on-year in the month of January, highlights the report 1816. Unlike the analysis of Scentia, The measurement of this consultancy is not in the volume of products for sale but rather in relation to the turnover of the businesses deflated by the price index..
“Something not seen even during the pandemic”assured the consultant to account for the seriousness of the moment.
Sharp drop in consumption: explained by the sharp drop in salaries
About the sharp drop in the purchasing power of employees, which largely explains the negative trend in both large supermarket chains and small businesses.
“In December, the real salary of registered private workers had the largest monthly drop in at least 30 years and it is very likely that in January salaries reached a lower level than that of the 2001 crisis”the report noted.
He average private sector salarycurrently around US$400, It is at similar levels to those it showed in 2002.after the convertibility crisis.
Source: Ambito
