July Retail Sales
Updated: 15-Aug-25 09:41 ET



Highlights

• The July Retail Sales Report was a good report that was made even better by the upward revisions to the prior month's data. Total retail sales increased 0.5% month-over-month, as expected, following an upwardly revised 0.9% increase (from 0.6%) in June.
• Excluding autos, retail sales increased 0.3% month-over-month, as expected, following an upwardly revised 0.8% increase (from 0.5%) in June.

Key Factors

• Motor vehicle and parts dealers sales increased 1.6% month-over-month following a 1.4% increase in June.
• Furniture and home furnishing store sales jumped 1.4% month-over-month following a 0.1% increase in June.
• Gasoline station sales rose 0.7% month-over-month following a 0.6% increase in June.
• Clothing and clothing accessories store sales advanced 0.7% month-over-month following a 1.1% increase in June.
• Nonstore retailer sales, aided by the extended Amazon Prime Day sale, increased 0.8% month-over-month following a 0.9% increase in June.
• Core retail sales were up a solid 0.5% month-over-month following a 0.9% increase in June.

Big Picture

• The key takeaway from the report, which isn't adjusted for inflation, is that it reflects a decent pace of consumer spending that isn't owed entirely to price increases; however, it does reveal a few points of spending caution, evidenced by the 0.6% decline in electronics and appliance stores, the 1.0% decline in building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers, and the 0.4% decline in food services and drinking places.

Category	JUL	JUN	MAY	APR	MAR
Retail Sales	0.5%	0.9%	-0.8%	-0.1%	1.5%
Excluding Autos	0.3%	0.8%	-0.1%	0.0%	0.6%
Durable goods
Building Materials	-1.0%	1.3%	-2.7%	0.5%	2.0%
Autos/parts	1.6%	1.4%	-3.8%	-0.7%	5.3%
Furniture	1.4%	0.1%	-0.5%	0.0%	0.1%
Nondurable goods
General Merchandise	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%	0.0%	0.0%
Food	0.5%	0.8%	-0.6%	0.0%	0.0%
Gasoline stations	0.7%	0.6%	-0.7%	-0.4%	-2.8%
Clothing	0.7%	1.1%	0.5%	0.2%	1.1%
e*retailing/non-store	0.8%	0.9%	0.7%	0.1%	0.5%