ANTAD Retail Sales Rise 3.4% in July 2026

Summary: Mexico’s retail sector recorded modest growth in July 2026, with ANTAD-affiliated retailers posting 1.0% same-store sales growth and 3.4% growth across total stores, while cumulative January-July sales reached MX$954.2 billion. Specialized retailers outperformed self-service and department stores, underscoring shifting consumer behavior and the growing importance of store expansion, digital transformation, omnichannel strategies and revenue diversification as weaker purchasing power limits established-store growth. 

Mexico’s retail sector posted modest sales growth in July, with retailers affiliated with the National Association of Self-Service and Department Stores (ANTAD) reporting 1.0% year-over-year growth at stores with more than one year of operation and a 3.4% increase across total stores. Sales reached an estimated MX$140.3 billion during the month, according to ANTAD’s Economic and Market Studies.

The July figures come as retailers continue to face slower consumer spending, weaker purchasing power and changes in shopping behavior. The results also reflect a calendar effect, as July 2026 included one additional Friday compared with the same month in 2025.

Specialized retailers led the sector in both comparable and total-store sales growth. Their performance contrasted with self-service stores, which recorded a decline in comparable sales, and department stores, which reported no growth under the same measurement. 

Specialized Retailers Lead July Growth

The performance across retail formats highlighted different levels of resilience as consumer spending remains under pressure. ANTAD reported that specialized stores increased sales by 5.4% at stores with more than one year of operation and by 9.2% when including all stores.

Self-service retailers posted a 0.9% decline in comparable-store sales but recorded 1.5% growth in total-store sales. Department stores reported no growth at comparable stores and a 1.1% increase in total sales.

ANTAD defines comparable or “same-store” sales as those generated by stores that have operated for more than one year. Total-store sales also include locations opened during the previous 12 months, providing a broader measure of the sector’s expansion.

The July results indicate that store expansion continued to support overall sales, even as underlying growth at established locations remained limited. The difference was particularly visible in self-service retail, where total sales increased despite the decline in comparable-store performance. 

Retail Sector Faces Slower Consumer Spending

July’s results follow a period of weaker consumption growth. In May, ANTAD-affiliated retailers reported same-store sales growth of only 0.8%, the weakest performance for that month since 2013. Total sales rose 3.0% year over year to MX$150.4 billion.

The slowdown was also reflected in the first five months of 2026, when accumulated sales reached MX$676 billion. Same-store sales increased 2.2%, while total sales grew 4.4%, reported MBN. 

Janneth Quiroz, Director of Economic Analysis at Monex Casa de Bolsa, previously described the trend as a “notable moderation in consumption,” linking it to declining consumer confidence and slower wage growth. Analysts have identified potential support from FIFA World Cup-related activity and a gradual recovery in remittances, although geopolitical conflicts, USMCA negotiations and weak economic growth remain risks for household spending.

The impact has varied across retail formats. Department stores experienced the sharpest contraction in May, while self-service and specialized retailers continued to post growth. Specialized retailers, including pharmacies, pet stores and apparel companies, recorded 5.3% same-store sales growth and 9.2% total sales growth that month. 

Seven-Month Sales Reach MX$954.2 Billion

Despite the slower pace of monthly growth, ANTAD’s accumulated figures remained positive through July. Sales between January and July increased 1.5% at comparable stores and 3.7% across total stores.

The 3.7% increase in total-store sales was unchanged from the figure reported for 1H2026. Total accumulated sales reached an estimated MX$954.2 billion during the first seven months of the year.

The results suggest that new store openings continue to contribute to sector growth, while sales at established locations are expanding at a slower rate. For retailers, maintaining growth will depend in part on their ability to respond to changes in consumer demand while improving productivity across physical and digital channels. 

Retailers Accelerate Transformation Strategies

Against this backdrop, ANTAD has been promoting a longer-term strategy focused on diversification, digital transformation and omnichannel capabilities. At the Mexico E-Commerce and Retail Summit 2026, Diego Cosío, executive president of ANTAD, presented a roadmap for the association’s 124 major retail chains through 2030.

The strategy calls on retailers to expand beyond traditional commerce by leveraging their physical infrastructure, customer relationships and data to develop additional sources of revenue. Cosío pointed to ANTAD’s pharmacy network as an example of the scale retailers can use to enter adjacent services, reported MBN. 

ANTAD has identified several forces affecting the sector, including changes in consumer behavior, evolving social structures, technological advances, industry disruption, environmental pressures and geopolitical developments.

These changes are also reshaping how consumers interact with retailers. Purchasing journeys increasingly combine physical stores with neighborhood grocery stores, hypermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores and e-commerce platforms.

For retailers operating in Mexico, this environment places greater emphasis on understanding customers across multiple channels and using data to support personalized engagement and long-term retention. 

Digital and Omnichannel Capabilities Gain Importance

The July sales figures reinforce the need for retailers to balance physical expansion with digital capabilities. While new stores can support total sales growth, the weaker comparable-store figures show the challenge of generating additional spending from established locations.

ANTAD’s strategy therefore places digital transformation and omnichannel operations among the tools retailers can use to adapt to changing purchasing habits. The approach also seeks to strengthen revenue diversification as companies face slower consumption growth.

With more than 46,000 establishments represented by ANTAD, the association’s sales figures remain an indicator of private consumption in Mexico. The performance during the remainder of 2026 will provide further insight into whether the sector’s modest growth stabilizes or whether weaker consumer confidence and purchasing power continue to limit sales at established stores.