Fashion Retail Experiences a 2.4% Uptick Amid Slowing Sales

Fashion completes the first half of the year immune. In the sixth month of the year, fashion retail sales in the North American powerhouse have slightly slowed their pace of growth, despite remaining positive, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Commerce. The sector completes the first half of the year with a higher cumulative figure than a year ago.

At the end of June, fashion retail turnover stood at $24.86 billion, 2.4% more than in the same month of 2024, and $584 million more in absolute terms. Despite the good performance, the figure, without adjusting for seasonal and calendar effects, also represents a slight slowdown compared to May, when sales were up almost 6% year-on-year.

On a month-on-month basis, in fact, fashion turnover has fallen from the $27.94 billion, according to the bureau’s revised figures, that it posted in May, which translates into an 11% decline. In absolute terms, the June figure represents a drop in sales of up to $3.07 billion from the previous month.

U.S. sales have accumulated an increase of 3.6% through June

Much of the year has been marked by increases, so that the annual accumulated figure has completed the first half of the year upwards. U.S. retail fashion has invoiced in the first six months of the year 3.6% more than in the same period of the previous year, i.e. $142,604 million.

The sector thus outperformed the first six months of the year, which coincided with Donald Trump’s first six months in office. The president, however, did not make his first tariff announcement until April, so the effect on inflation and sales in the sector may not yet be felt.

In contrast to fashion, consumption fell by 5.2% in June compared with the same month last year, compared with a rise of 3.1% in May. In total, the country’s retail trade turnover stood at $713,652 million in June alone and reached a total of 4.2 trillion in the first half of the year.