Buenos Aires, January 22 (NA) -- Mass consumption recorded a slight growth of 2% in 2025 compared to 2024, but with a decline at the end of the year, while a consolidation of the change in shopping habits is observed. The annual balance ended in positive territory, but in December – the month of highest consumption due to the holidays – there was a decrease of 0.3%, which coincides with the complaints from companies and businesses reflected in sector reports. The most affected sectors were traditional supermarkets and wholesalers, while neighborhood stores, pharmacies, and kiosks had better performance. According to a study by the Scentia consultancy received by the Argentine News Agency, in December supermarkets sold 4% less than a year earlier and for the entire last year sales decreased by 5.2%. In the case of wholesalers, the year-on-year drop in December was 0.5% and for the year, a plunge of 5% was recorded. In contrast, independent self-service stores improved by 2.9% in December and managed to end the year with a slight statistical increase of 0.1%. In 'kiosks and stores' there was an advance of 0.3% year-on-year and 9.1% in all of 2025 compared to 2024. Regarding pharmacies – where year-end purchases help – a year-on-year decrease in December of 1.9% was detected, but for the year they rise 2.3%. The highest increase is seen in e-commerce with improvements of 32.3% in the month and 14.1% in the year.
