NEW DELHI: Retail sales in December 2021 have seen 26 per cent growth as compared to December 2020, according to the Retailers Association of India (RAI). In its latest retail business survey, the Retailers Association of India added the retail sales have surpassed the pre-pandemic levels, growing 7 per cent over December 2019.
Retailers Association of India CEO Kumar Rajagopalan said, "Retail business was on a steady growth trajectory during most of December, however, the pace of growth was seen dropping off significantly towards the last week of December due to the fresh sets of curbs imposed in most parts of the country owing to the third wave of the pandemic."
Although the overall figures appear positive, the impact can be seen at category level with the beauty, wellness & personal care (-7 per cent), furniture and furnishings (-5 per cent) slipping into the red once again as compared to the sales in December 2019.
Sales across CDIT (26 per cent), sports goods (14 per cent), jewellery (9 per cent), footwear (7 per cent) and apparel & clothing (2 per cent) too started to lose steam. The RAI has appealed the states to refrain from imposing restrictions.