ANTAD Retail Sales Rise 3.4% in July 2026

Mexico’s National Association of Self-Service and Department Stores (ANTAD) reported a 3.4% increase in total retail sales for July 2026, reaching approximately MX$140.3 billion. While total growth was supported by new store openings, same-store sales grew by only 1.0%, reflecting a broader trend of cooling consumer spending and weakened purchasing power. This performance highlights a growing divergence between retail formats, with specialized retailers significantly outperforming self-service and department stores as the industry pivots toward digital transformation and omnichannel strategies.

According to data from ANTAD’s Economic and Market Studies, the Mexican retail sector saw modest gains in July 2026, with total accumulated sales for the first seven months of the year reaching MX$954.2 billion. Specialized retailers, including pharmacies and apparel companies, emerged as the strongest performers, posting a 5.4% increase in same-store sales and a 9.2% jump in total sales. In contrast, self-service retailers experienced a 0.9% decline in comparable-store sales, while department stores reported no growth under the same measurement. These results were influenced by a calendar effect involving an extra Friday compared to the previous year, yet they still point to a notable moderation in consumption linked to declining consumer confidence and slower wage growth.

The sluggish growth at established locations—defined as stores operating for more than one year—underscores the challenges of generating additional revenue as purchasing power limits organic expansion. While total-store sales rose 3.4% in July, the reliance on new store openings to drive these figures suggests that growth at existing locations is becoming harder to sustain. This follows a particularly weak performance in May, where same-store sales growth of 0.8% was the lowest for that month since 2013. Analysts such as Janneth Quiroz of Monex Casa de Bolsa suggest that while the FIFA World Cup and remittances may provide some support, the sector remains vulnerable to geopolitical conflicts, USMCA negotiations, and general economic volatility affecting household budgets.

To counter these headwinds, ANTAD Executive President Diego Cosío has introduced a strategic roadmap through 2030 focused on digital transformation and revenue diversification for the association’s 124 major retail chains. The strategy encourages retailers to leverage their physical infrastructure and customer data to develop adjacent services, such as utilizing pharmacy networks for healthcare offerings. As consumer journeys increasingly blend physical neighborhood stores with e-commerce platforms, the industry is shifting toward data-driven personalized engagement and improved productivity across all channels. For the e-commerce and retail sector, the July data reinforces that long-term success will depend on balancing physical expansion with robust omnichannel capabilities to capture shifting consumer demand.