ANTAD Calls For Retail Reinvention as Consumption Slows

Summary: Mexico’s retail sector is entering a period of slower growth, as ANTAD members recorded just 0.8% same-store sales growth in May 2026, reflecting weaker consumer confidence, slower wage growth and softer domestic consumption. The downturn is affecting retailers unevenly, with department stores underperforming while self-service and specialized chains remain more resilient, prompting ANTAD to prioritize omnichannel integration, digital transformation and revenue diversification. The shift is particularly relevant for retailers, e-commerce platforms, consumer brands and investors as Mexico’s retail market adapts to changing shopping behaviors and increasing digital commerce adoption.

Mexico’s retail sector is facing a sharp slowdown in consumer spending, with same-store sales among members of the National Association of Self-Service and Department Stores (ANTAD) rising just 0.8% in May 2026, the weakest performance for the month since 2013. Against this backdrop, ANTAD is urging retailers to diversify revenue streams, accelerate digital transformation and strengthen omnichannel capabilities to remain competitive through 2030.

The May result marked a significant decline from the 10.3% same-store sales growth recorded in May 2025, reinforcing signs of weaker domestic consumption. Total sales, including recently opened stores, increased 3.0% year over year to MX$150.4 billion. During the first five months of 2026, accumulated sales reached MX$676 billion, with same-store sales growing 2.2% and total sales increasing 4.4%.

According to Janneth Quiroz, Director of Economic Analysis, Monex Casa de Bolsa, “a notable moderation in consumption persists,” consistent with declining consumer confidence and slower wage growth. While analysts expect spending to receive some support from FIFA World Cup-related activity and a gradual recovery in remittances, risks remain tied to geopolitical conflicts, USMCA negotiations and weak economic growth.

The slowdown was not evenly distributed across retail formats, with department stores experiencing the sharpest contraction while specialized retailers continued to outperform. Department stores, including Liverpool, Sears and Palacio de Hierro, reported a 4.2% decline in same-store sales and a 3.2% decrease in total sales, reversing the momentum seen in April. Self-service retailers such as La Comer, Soriana and Chedraui posted more resilient results, with same-store sales increasing 2.5% and total sales growing 4.8%. Specialized retailers, including pharmacies, Petco and Levi’s, delivered the strongest performance, with same-store sales rising 5.3% and total sales increasing 9.2%.

ANTAD, which represents more than 46,000 establishments across Mexico, remains a key indicator of private consumption trends. The sector’s performance in the coming months will depend on retailers’ ability to navigate weaker consumer confidence, declining purchasing power and evolving shopping habits. 

ANTAD Unveils Roadmap for Retail Through 2030

As retailers confront a more challenging demand environment, ANTAD is promoting a long-term transformation strategy aimed at strengthening resilience and creating new sources of growth. Speaking at the Mexico E-Commerce and Retail Summit 2026, Diego Cosío, Executive President of ANTAD, presented a roadmap encouraging the association’s 124 major retail chains to evolve beyond traditional commerce and leverage their infrastructure, data and customer relationships to enter adjacent sectors, reported MBN. 

“ANTAD’s pharmacy network already outpaces Mexico’s federal healthcare system in consultations,” Cosío said, highlighting the scale and reach of the industry’s physical footprint.

According to ANTAD, six major forces are reshaping the retail landscape: increasingly complex consumer behavior, changing social structures, rapid technological advancement, industry disruption, environmental pressures and geopolitical shifts. These trends are pushing retailers to move beyond transactional relationships and develop individualized, data-driven engagement strategies focused on customer intimacy, advocacy and long-term loyalty. 

Future Growth Priorities 

To remain competitive through the end of the decade, Cosío outlined strategic imperatives for retailers. The first is serving with purpose through a clear mission aligned with long-term value creation. The second is achieving a “customer epiphany” by building relationships one consumer at a time. The third is mastering Omnichannel 3.0 through seamless integration of physical and digital experiences.

Additional priorities include diversifying revenue streams beyond traditional retail operations, adopting a digital-native mindset, strengthening talent retention and reskilling programs, and maintaining disciplined cost structures while scaling operations.

The strategy aligns with broader shifts in consumer behavior. Research by Kantar shows that 73% of Mexican consumers shop across more than six channels, significantly above the Latin American average of 32%.

The consumer journey increasingly spans traditional stores, neighborhood grocery stores, hypermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores and e-commerce platforms, creating both complexity and opportunity for retailers. 

E-Commerce and Digital Channels Gain Momentum

The rapid expansion of digital commerce is expected to play a central role in the sector’s future growth trajectory. Mexico is projected to lead North American e-commerce growth with a 10.1% increase in online sales, reaching US$63.71 billion by the end of 2025. This growth rate exceeds projections for Canada at 6.0% and the United States at 5.0%, reported MBN. EMARKETER forecasts that retail e-commerce penetration in Mexico will surpass 20.8% by 2029.

Mobile applications are becoming increasingly important purchasing channels. ANTAD data shows that clothing, footwear and accessories account for 62.5% of mobile purchases, followed by food and beverages at 58.4%, and health and personal care products at 57.0%.

Digital buyers across Latin America continue to rely on multiple channels for product research. Search engines are used by 37.7% of consumers, followed by social media platforms at 35.4% and digital marketplaces at 33.9%.

Within social commerce, Facebook remains the leading platform, used by 55.1% of social buyers in Latin America. However, TikTok has rapidly gained ground with a 44.0% share and has become the leading social commerce platform for more than six in 10 social buyers in Mexico and Brazil.

For ANTAD, these shifts underscore the need for retailers to transform from traditional merchants into broader service and technology ecosystems capable of generating growth even as consumer spending moderates.