South Africa Retail Sales Growth Eases

(RTTNews) - South Africa's retail sales growth eased in February after accelerating in the previous month, data from Statistics South Africa showed on Wednesday.

On an unadjusted basis, retail sales rose 3.9 percent year-on-year in February, much slower than the 7.0 percent increase in the prior month.

Sales of textiles, clothing, footwear, and leather goods grew the most, by 15.7 percent annually in February, followed by household furniture, appliances, and equipment, with a 6.7 percent rise. Meanwhile, sales of hardware, paint, and glass were 4.1 percent lower.

On a monthly basis, retail sales dropped 1.3 percent in February versus a 0.7 percent increase in the prior month.