• According to a survey conducted by the Retailers Association of India (RAI), retail businesses across India have reported sales growth of 18% in July compared to pre-pandemic levels.
• Sales across all categories are showing a steady increase, with sporting goods showing a strong performance, followed by footwear, apparel and jewellery, which were the top performers in July 2022.
• The top-spend customers came from the eastern region, which saw a 25% increase in sales, followed by the south, which was a close second.

The second quarter of the current fiscal year got off to a good start for the retail trade.

A Retailers Association of India (RAI) survey shows that retail businesses across India reported sales growth of 18% in July 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels in July 2019.

That growth was led by sporting goods at 32%, while furniture and footwear each grew 23%. A holiday must-have, apparel also performed well as sales were up 22%.

The most affluent customers came from the eastern region, which saw a 25% increase in sales in July 2022 compared to the previous year. The second best performer was the southern region, which was a close second with growth of 21%. In the north and west, sales increased by 16% and 10%, respectively.

With the holiday season underway beginning with Raksha Bandhan and ending with Dusshera, India’s retailers are optimistic to see good sales momentum.

“Retail businesses across the country are looking up as healthy sales growth continues above pre-pandemic levels. Key categories such as apparel and footwear are showing traction. With this trend in mind, retailers are expecting a good holiday season which could bring joy to businesses,” said Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO of RAI.