Fashion pulse: Switzerland - August 2026

Consumer prices (August)

Clothing and footwear prices in Switzerland fell 2.3 percent year-on-year in August 2026, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), after a 0.9 percent decline in July. Headline consumer price inflation rose to 0.8 percent from 0.4 percent, so clothing and footwear prices ran 3.1 percentage points below the headline rate. On the month, clothing and footwear prices rose 3.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, compared with a 4.9 percent rise in August 2025.

Clothing prices fell 2.2 percent YoY, with menswear and womenswear both down 2.4 percent, according to the FSO. Footwear prices fell 2.9 percent, with women's footwear down 3.5 percent, men's footwear down 2.5 percent and children's footwear down 2.4 percent.

Retail sales (August, preliminary)

Real retail turnover of clothing and footwear rose 3.2 percent YoY in August, adjusted for calendar effects, after a 1.6 percent fall in July, according to provisional FSO data. In nominal terms, turnover rose 0.9 percent. On a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis, real turnover of clothing and footwear rose 3.8 percent from July.

Real retail turnover excluding fuel rose 3.0 percent YoY in August, calendar adjusted, and 1.8 percent in nominal terms, according to provisional FSO data.

Consumer sentiment (August)

The consumer sentiment index of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) stood at minus 33 points in August, 7 points higher than in August 2025, after minus 35 points in July. SECO reported higher readings than a year earlier for the economic outlook and the past financial situation, while the sub-index for the moment to make major purchases was lower, at minus 26.3 compared with minus 24.3 in August 2025.

Monetary policy and currency (August)

The Swiss National Bank's (SNB) policy rate remained at 0 percent throughout August, a month without a monetary policy assessment. The franc averaged 0.8078 per dollar in August, compared with 0.8100 in July, according to the SNB, a 0.3 percent rise in the value of the franc. Against the euro, the franc weakened 1.2 percent to an average of 0.9363 per euro from 0.9254, while against both currencies it was broadly unchanged from August 2025.

The bottom line

Swiss clothing and footwear prices fell 2.3 percent YoY in August, 3.1 percentage points below headline inflation of 0.8 percent. Provisional FSO data show real retail turnover of clothing and footwear up 3.2 percent YoY, after a fall in July. SECO's consumer sentiment index improved to minus 33 points, although the assessment of the moment to make major purchases was weaker than a year earlier.

Note: this article combines the most recent official data available at the time of writing. Reporting lags differ by indicator and country, so not all figures refer to the same month. Each data point is labelled with its reference period.