Johannesburg – Consumers may shift their spending away from luxuries and allocate it towards essentials as economic conditions worsen, says an analyst.

Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released on Wednesday indicate that the annual rate of retail sales declined by 1.7% in February 2017. The main contributors to the annual decline include reduced sales in textiles, clothing, footware and leather goods by 7.6%.

There was also a 6.5% decline in household furniture, appliances and equipment. Hardware, paint and glass sales declined 5.5%.