Retail sales in South Africa rose by 1.6% year-on-year in February 2026, following an upwardly revised 4.4% jump in the prior month and missing analysts' forecasts of a 4.8% surge. This marked the weakest growth in retail activity since September 2024, in part due to a sharp slowdown in sales of textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (3.9% vs 9.7% in January) and hardware, paint and glass (0.1% vs 1.9%). Furthermore, lower sales were recorded for food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (-5% vs -6.1%) and general dealers (-0.9% vs 2.4%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail trade fell by 1%, after a 0.9% increase in the previous month. Retail trade sales rose by 2.8% in the three months ended February 2026 compared with the three months ended February 2025.