Retail sales in South Africa rose 2.3% year-on-year in May 2026, picking up from a downwardly revised 1.2% increase in April. The strongest contribution came from retailers of textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods, where sales rebounded by 3.7% after a 1.0% decline in the previous month. Sales among general dealers were stable, growing 1.0%, unchanged from April. Growth in sales by retailers of pharmaceuticals, medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries accelerated to 2.1% from 0.6%.
By contrast, sales growth slowed for retailers of household furniture, appliances and equipment (8.1% vs. 8.6% in April). Sales declined for food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (-0.4% vs. -0.3%), as well as for hardware, paint and glass retailers (-0.4% vs. a 0.1% increase previously).
On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, retail sales edged up 0.1% in May, easing from a 0.9% increase in April. Over the three months to May, retail trade grew 2.0% compared with the same period a year earlier.
