Malaysia Retail Sales Growth Hits 4-Month High

Retail sales in Malaysia increased 6.9% year-on-year in September 2026, following a 6.5% rise in August, marking the strongest growth since May. Sales growth was driven mainly by non-specialised stores (7.9% vs. 7.5%), other household equipment in specialised stores (3.8% vs 3.5%), automotive fuel in specialised stores (10.6% vs 8.9%), information and communication equipment in specialised stores (6.8% vs 4.0%), and food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (6.3% vs 6.1%). Meanwhile, sales of other goods in specialised stores eased to 6.0% from 6.9%. On a monthly basis, retail sales rose 2.7%, following a 0.5% gain in August, marking the fastest increase in six months. Meanwhile, wholesale trade growth accelerated to 25.3% from 16.6% in August, while motor vehicle sales growth rose to 13.4% from 10.5%.

Retail sales in Malaysia grew 6.5% year-on-year in August 2026, following a 6.4% rise in July, which marked the softest growth since April. Sales increased mainly in non-specialised stores (7.5% vs 7.2%), other household equipment in specialised stores (3.5% vs 3.1%), and automotive fuel in specialised stores (8.9% vs 7.5%). These gains, however, were partly offset by a slowdown in sales of other goods in specialised stores (6.9% vs 7.6%), information and communication equipment in specialised stores (4.0% vs 4.3%), and food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (6.1% vs 6.4%). On a monthly basis, retail sales rose 0.5%, rebounding from a 1.0% drop in July. Meanwhile, wholesale trade growth accelerated to a three-month high of 16.5% from 11.7% in July, as did motor vehicle sales growth, which rose to 10.5% from 9.0%.

Retail sales in Malaysia increased 6.4% year-on-year in July 2026, easing from a 6.6% rise in the previous month. It marked the softest pace of growth since April, amid slower sales of automotive fuel in specialised stores (7.5% vs 10.8% in June), information and communication equipment in specialised stores (4.3% vs 4.7%), other household equipment in specialised stores (3.1% vs 3.2%), food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (6.4% vs 6.6%), and cultural and recreation goods in specialised stores (3.3% vs 3.7%). Meanwhile, growth picked up in sales at non-specialised stores (7.2% vs 7%), while sales of other goods in specialised stores rose further (7.6% vs 7%). On a monthly basis, retail sales fell 1%, reversing a 0.2% increase in June. Wholesale trade growth also moderated to a five-month low of 11.7% from 12.4%, while motor vehicle sales slowed sharply to 7.9% from 14.9%.