In its retail business survey, the Retailers Association of India (RAI) has said that in November 2021, the apparel category indicated a consistent growth at 6 per cent compared to that in November 2019.
The overall retail sales in November grew by 9 per cent over the pre-pandemic levels of the same month in November 2019 signalling an improvement in business amidst worries around the spread of Omicron variant and the third wave of the pandemic.
“Overall business is improving and we do hope that this will sustain. However, there are still worries around Omicron and the third wave, leading to a feeling of cautious optimism,” said Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, RAI.
To be sure, retail sales were high in October as the month was packed with pre-festive buying. Diwali, for instance, fell on 4 November this year, post which demand typically tends to moderate.
The overall retail businesses across regions have indicated growth in sales as compared to pre-pandemic levels with retailers in west India reporting 11 per cent growth compared to November 2019, followed by east and south India at 9 per cent.
Retail sales in north India grew 6 per cent compared to sales levels reported in November 2019.
