The US retail sales reported their biggest monthly decline in March, as the coronavirus forced thousands of dealers in the country to cease operations and left millions of Americans without income. The total sales volume decreased by 8.7% on a monthly basis, marking the steepest decrease since the beginning of statistics in 1992, shows the data of the Ministry of Trade.

Eight of the 13 major categories reported declines, driven by a 50.5% drop in sales in clothing stores and a 26.8% decline in purchases of furniture and home furnishings. Restaurants and bars registered a 26.5% drop in turnover. On the other hand, food and beverage stores saw a 25.6% increase in sales.

Measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus quickly escalated during the month as states began closing restaurants and bars and urged residents to stay home. As a result, many businesses resorted to redundancies, which continued into April and sharply reduced household consumption.

Retail sales declined 6.2% YoY in March after a 4.6% increase in February.