Malaysia: Wholesale, retail trade sales up 6.3% y-o-y in April

• Jun 12, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade posted a monthly sales value of RM136 billion, up 6.3 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) in April 2023, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) said.

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the increment was attributed to the retail trade sub-sector, which grew 12.9 per cent or RM6.9 billion to RM60.5 billion followed by the wholesale trade sub-sector which rose 3.2 per cent or RM1.9 billion to RM60.9 billion.

“For month-on-month (m-o-m) comparison, sales value of wholesale and retail trade inched down 1.8 per cent dragged by a fall in motor vehicles and wholesale trade sub-sectors of 19.8 per cent and 1.1 per cent, respectively,” he said in a statement today.

However, he said the motor vehicles sub-sector fell 5.1 per cent to RM14.6 billion derailed by sales of motor vehicles which slumped 17.3 per cent or RM1.4 billion to RM 6.8 billion.

Additionally, he said the sales, maintenance and repair of motorcycles group also shrank by 29.8 per cent.

“For monthly comparison, this sub-sector also recorded a negative growth of 19.8 per cent, contributed by a decrease in sales of motor vehicles with 33.5 per cent,” he said.

Mohd Uzir said for the performance across sub-sectors, the retail trade sub-sector growth of 12.9 per cent in April 2023 was supported by retail sales in non-specialised stores which climbed 18 per cent or RM3.6 billion to RM23.4 billion.

He said other groups in the sub-sector also recorded positive growth, namely retail sales in specialised stores (17.4 per cent), retail sales of automotive fuels (19.6 per cent) and retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco (15.1 per cent).

“The increase of 3.2 per cent growth in the wholesale trade sub-sector was attributed to the wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco which rose RM900 million or 7.7 per cent to RM12.1 billion followed by the wholesale of household goods (5.4 per cent) and the wholesale of agricultural raw materials and live animals (5.1 per cent),” he said.

Mohd Uzir said the volume index of wholesale and retail trade for April 2023 registered a y-o-y growth of 4.7 per cent driven by expansion in the retail trade (10 per cent) and wholesale trade (3.4 per cent) sub-sectors.

He added that the seasonally adjusted volume index increased 6.5 per cent m-o-m. – Bernama

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2023/06/12/wholesale-retail-trade-sales-up-63-y-o-y-in-april