The Retailer Liaison Committee (RLC) released its Market Sales Report for April 2026. Its members’ SA sales accounted for 45.2% of total SA clothing sales. Total Apparel, Homeware and Beauty sales growth slowed to 4% y-y in April (March: 2.5% y-y), with a 6-month rolling growth of 2.8% y-y and a 12-month rolling growth moderating to 3.6% y-y. Total SA sales slowed to 1.4% y-y in April, while Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia & eSwatini (BLNE) sales rebounded 1.6% y-y. The Rest of Africa sales growth was flat at 0.0% y-y in April (March: -5.0% y-y). Apparel sales contracted marginally by 0.1% y-y in April. Womenswear sales grew 3.0% y-y, while Menswear sales continue to slow, moderating to 1.1% y-y. Kids & Baby sales contracted sharply by 5.2% y-y. Beauty sales grew 9.6% y-y in April (March: 8.0% y-y). Homeware sales growth improved sharply by 7.5% y-y in April, following two consecutive months of low growth. Total volumes declined 1.0% y-y in April (March: -0.1% y-y). Product inflation eased to 2.5% for April (March: 2.7%). The average unit price for the RLC was 82 in April (compared to R129.64 in April 2025). Fuel prices increased sharply by c. 15.7% on 1 April, with 95 petrol rising to R22.53/l for coastal areas and R23.36 inland. This may have contributed to the lower apparel growth.
