{"id":72079,"date":"2026-09-22T03:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T07:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/france-retail-sales-ex-auto-growth-accelerates-in-july\/72079\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T03:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T07:08:11","slug":"france-retail-sales-ex-auto-growth-accelerates-in-july","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/france-retail-sales-ex-auto-growth-accelerates-in-july\/72079\/","title":{"rendered":"France Retail Sales Ex-Auto Growth Accelerates in July"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>France&#39;s retail sales excluding automobiles grew by 0.8% month-on-month in July 2026<\/strong>, doubling the previous month&#39;s growth of 0.4%.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Household consumption of goods rose by 0.5% in volume<\/strong> during the same period, marking a second consecutive month of expansion.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The retail sales index reached a historic high of 109.7 points<\/strong>, signaling resilient domestic demand despite broader economic uncertainty and fiscal pressures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>French retail sales excluding the automotive sector surged by 0.8% in July<\/strong>, according to the latest data released on <strong>September 22, 2026<\/strong>. This performance significantly outperformed the revised <strong>0.4% growth<\/strong> recorded in June, suggesting a strengthening of consumer appetite during the peak summer season.<\/p>\n<p>The broader measure of <strong>household consumption of goods also showed positive momentum, increasing by 0.5% in July<\/strong>. This growth was supported by a <strong>0.5% rise in manufactured goods<\/strong> and a <strong>0.2% uptick in food consumption<\/strong>. <em>Energy consumption saw a notable 0.8% increase<\/em>, driven in part by higher electricity usage during regional heatwaves in early July.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE)<\/strong> reported that the retail sales index hit <strong>109.7 points<\/strong>, its highest level since record-keeping began in 1999. This milestone comes as a surprise to some analysts who had anticipated a more muted outlook due to the government&#39;s recent decision to <strong>cut its 2026 GDP growth forecast to 0.5%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>While the retail sector remains a bright spot, the wider French economy faces headwinds from <em>political uncertainty and a widening budget deficit<\/em>. Major French retailers and consumer-facing companies, including Carrefour (<a href=\"\/stock\/CA\">CA<\/a>) and LVMH (<a href=\"\/stock\/MC\">MC<\/a>), are closely monitoring these trends as the country approaches a critical election cycle.<\/p>\n<p>Market sentiment remains cautious as the <strong>European Central Bank (ECB)<\/strong> continues to track inflation expectations, which remained largely unchanged in August. Despite the strong retail figures, <em>the manufacturing sector continues to struggle<\/em>, with output falling <strong>0.8% in July<\/strong>, highlighting a persistent divergence between services-led consumption and industrial production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways France&#39;s retail sales excluding automobiles grew by 0.8% month-on-month in July 2026, doubling the previous month&#39;s growth of 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