Private consumption continued its drop rate in May, falling 0.3% month-on-month and 2.2% year-on-year, marking its sixth consecutive annual decline, according to a report by the University of Palermo (UP).
In the first five months of 2026, the cumulative drop reached 1.8%. Against this backdrop, supermarkets and wholesale retailers identified a lack of demand as the primary obstacle to expanding their activity, according to the latest Business Trend Survey by statistics institute INDEC.
Mass consumption continues its downward trend, led by beef sales, which have contracted for 10 consecutive months, falling 13% year-on-year in April. While poultry sales declined 2.5%, pork sales saw growth, rising 6.2% year-on-year in April and 11% in the first four months of the year.
Shrinking demand
On Thursday, INDEC reported that 62.6% of supermarkets and wholesale stores pointed to demand as the main factor limiting commercial activity. This concern has deepened since three months ago, when the figure stood at 54.5%.
