Retail sales in South Africa rose 4.2% year-on-year in January 2026, the strongest increase in six months, following a downwardly revised 2.5% gain in December. The result exceeded market expectations for a 2.5% rise.
The main drivers of the upturn were retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear, and leather goods, where sales climbed 9.9%, contributing 1.6 percentage points to the overall increase; the category of all other retailers, up 10.3% and adding 1.2 percentage points; and general dealers, whose sales grew 1.7%, contributing 0.7 percentage points.
On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, retail trade advanced 0.9% in January, rebounding from a revised 0.5% decline in the previous month.