KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Malaysia's wholesale and retail trade sector began the year with total sales of RM148.9 billion in January, a 4.6 per cent growth year-on-year (y-o-y), according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said this growth was mainly driven by gains in the retail trade and wholesale trade sub-sectors.
“Retail trade recorded total sales of RM66.1 billion, increasing by 8.2 per cent y-o-y, while wholesale trade registered total sales of RM66.8 billion, rising 4.9 per cent y-o-y,” he said in a statement today.
Wholesale trade continued to demonstrate resilience in January 2025, driven by robust demand for essential consumer goods.
Meanwhile, the retail trade sub-sector was supported by retail sales in non-specialised stores which rose by 9.7 per cent to RM25.5 billion, as well as retail sales in specialised stores, which grew by 8.3 per cent to RM14.0 billion.
“However, the motor vehicles sub-sector saw total sales contracting by 9.1 per cent y-o-y to RM16.0 billion,” Uzir said, partly due to early purchases made in December and negative growth recorded in the sales, maintenance, and repair of motorcycles.
In terms of volume, the wholesale and retail trade recorded an increase of 3.8 per cent year over year, driven by the retail trade subsector, which rose by 6.6 per cent, followed by the wholesale trade, which expanded by 4.5 per cent.
On the other hand, the motor vehicles sub-sector recorded a decline of 11.1 per cent.
Month-on-month, the wholesale and retail trade sector recorded slightly lower growth in January 2025 compared to December 2024 due to the downturn in the motor vehicles segment, while the retail and wholesale trade sub-sectors continued the positive drive.
“This sector is expected to maintain its growth momentum, supported by stable domestic consumption and continuous tourism activities,” DOSM said.
— Bernama
