South Africa’s retail trade growth slowed to 2.3% year-on-year in August 2025, down from an upwardly revised 5.7% in July. Sales growth decelerated across key segments, including general dealers (0.8% vs 3.3%), textiles, clothing and footwear (1.6% vs 9.9%), household furniture and appliances (6.2% vs 9.3%), hardware, paint and glass (8.1% vs 13.3%), and all other retailers (7.9% vs 12.1%). Food, beverages and tobacco sales fell sharply by 3.7% (vs -1.4%), while pharmaceutical and medical goods surged 4.1% after a 0.1% decline. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail trade declined 1.2% in August, following 2.3% growth in July.