Brazilian retail grows 1.2% in the first three months of 2026, says Mastercard SpendingPulse

The first quarter of 2026 saw growth in Brazilian retail. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures retail sales in physical and online stores representing all payment types, the industry recorded average growth of 1.2% in the 1st quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2025.

In all, 10 sectors of the economy were analyzed, seven of them with performance above the national average. “The result of the 1st quarter reinforces the resilience of the Brazilian consumer, especially the restaurant sector, which presented strong dynamism.The Midwest region continues as a positive highlight, while we observe growth opportunities in sectors such as furniture and decoration, for example.”, says Gustavo Arruda, Chief Economist for Latin America at the Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI).

Sectors that have grown the most

In the performance by sectors, some went from 6% and even reached the double-digit level. The main positive highlights were Restaurants (10,1%), Pharmacies (9,6%), Hosting (6,5%). In contrast, others showed more restrained performance, such as Supermarkets (-1,5%) and Furniture and decoration (-4,4%), for example.

Performance by region

In the regional cut, 11 of the 27 federative units outperformed the average growth of the country, indicating a heterogeneous consumption rhythm between the different regions.

All regions had positive results.The Midwest led growth with 2.5%, while the Southeast recorded the lowest advance (0.1%). The two states with the best performance were Pernambuco (5.4%) and Parana (4.1%), with the Federal District then advancing 4%.