The debate between the government and the opposition over the decline in purchasing power and low retail sales entered a new chapter on Friday.
A private report showed that, while consumer spending in July showed a 4.2% monthly increase, sales have yet to recover to last year’s levels. Year-over-year, sales are down 2.6% compared to July 2025, while the accumulated drop for 2026 was 2.9%.
The data comes from a survey conducted by the private consulting firm Scentia, one of the few firms that tracks consumer spending trends on a monthly basis.
Only two sectors have shown improvements compared to 2025. One is the pharmacy sector, with a modest 0.2% increase in the first seven months of the year.
The other is e-commerce, with a significant 35.6% jump compared to January–June of last year.
