India's first Services Production index shows retail trade up 30.8% y-o-y, food and accommodation lead at 37.2%

MOSPI's inaugural Index of Services Production reveals broad-based consumer-services momentum, with 14 of 19 sub-sectors posting double-digit growth in April 2026. Retail trade climbed 30.8% y-o-y, while accommodation and food services led all sectors at 37.2%, signaling strong demand for India's retail operators.

— Source publishedTue, 14 Jul, 2026, 19:27 IST·First seen Tue, 14 Jul, 2026, 19:34 IST·Source Forbes India

What happened

MoSPI · India's first Index of Services Production shows retail trade growing 30.8% y-o-y in April 2026, with accommodation and food leading at 37.2%, signaling

Key facts

  • 19 sub-sectors
  • 14 double-digit growth
  • accommodation and food 37.2% y-o-y
  • retail trade 30.8% y-o-y
  • FY26 retail trade 30.5%
  • services ~53% of GVA
  • index covers 60% of services

What to watch

  • Second monthly ISP print to establish trend vs. base-effect artifact
  • Listed retail/QSR quarterly SSSG and margin commentary
  • GST collections and UPI transaction volume trajectory
  • Rural vs urban demand split and real-wage/inflation data
  • MOSPI methodology notes on formalization capture within index
  • Overweight discretionary and experiential names (QSR, hotels, travel, restaurant chains) over staples/value retail near-term
  • Cross-check headline against listed retailer SSSG guidance and GST collection trends before sizing positions
  • Model base-effect fade into FY27 estimates; avoid extrapolating 30% into forward multiples
  • Screen for formalization beneficiaries in food & accommodation with operating leverage to volume