Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials HomeNewsEconomyU.S. retail sales fall most since May 2025 after solid demand runThe value of retail purchases decreased 0.6%Author of the article: You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Shoppers at an Ikea store in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Oct. 9, 2024. Photo by Michael Nagle/BloombergU.S. retail sales fell in July by the most in more than a year as consumers pulled back on purchases at online stores and auto dealers.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe value of retail purchases, which isn’t adjusted for inflation, decreased 0.6 per cent, the most since May 2025, according to data published Friday by the Census Bureau. Excluding autos and gasoline, sales fell 0.2 per cent.The report suggests consumers took a breather last month after a stronger first half of 2026, though some analysts also warned the numbers could be affected by spending pulled forward after Amazon.com Inc. moved its Prime Day sales event to June this year from July the year before.SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the oilpatch’s closed doors with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of FP West: Energy Insider will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againFive of 13 categories in the report posted declines, led by a 2.2 per cent drop in sales at nonstore retailers such as Amazon. Sales at motor vehicles and parts dealers fell 1.8 per cent. Meanwhile receipts at restaurants and bars, the only service-sector category in the retail report, rose 0.5 per cent.Friday’s data “leave the consumer looking a little less healthy,” Stephen Brown, the chief North America economist at Capital Economics, said in a note. “Nonetheless, the miss in July was mainly due to a sharp fall in non-store sales which likely reflects the different timing of Amazon Prime Day this year, rather than a fundamental downshift in consumer spending growth.”So-called control-group sales — which feed into the government’s calculation of goods spending for gross domestic product — fell 0.4 per cent, the most since the start of 2025. The measure excludes food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gas stations.Economists generally remain wary about the outlook for spending after outsize tax refunds delivered a one-time bump earlier in 2026 and the personal saving rate slid in June to a four-year low.Separate card data from Bank of America Corp. and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. suggest spending grew at a slower pace in July after Amazon’s Prime Day event and the World Cup boosted sales in June. Consumers still appeared to be in solid shape, with savings above pre-pandemic levels and a growing share of households paying their credit-card bills in full, according to the Bank of America Institute.With assistance from Augusta Saraiva Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.