Thailand Retail Sales Fall at Softer Pace

Retail sales in Thailand dropped by 18.3% year-on-year in June 2026, little changed from an upwardly revised 18.2% decrease in the previous month. This marked the third consecutive month of decline in retail activity, largely driven by lower sales in department stores, supermarkets and general stores (-23.2% vs -24.3% in May), particularly for food, beverages or tobacco (-44% vs -45.4%). Additionally, turnover declined further for other retail goods (-32.6% vs -31.1%), while growth softened for non-durable goods (2.5% vs 3.2%). In contrast, revenues increased at a faster rate for durable goods (3% vs 2.7%), specially for sporting equipment (55% vs 52.2%), as well as motor vehicles and automotive fuel (7.7% vs 5.5%). On a monthly basis, retail trade fell by 3.3% in June, following a downwardly revised 5.2% loss in the preceding period.

Retail sales in Thailand fell 14.5% year-on-year in May 2026, easing from a 20% plunge in the previous month. Sales in other retail categories contracted at a slower pace (-31.3% vs -37.1% in April), supported by stronger sales via stalls and markets for other goods (34% vs 11.6%) and sales through mail-order houses and the internet (61.9% vs 49.3%). In contrast, sales growth for non-durable goods eased to 1.75% from 5.5% in the previous month, mainly due to a decline in food sales (-3.7% vs 5.1%) and weaker growth in pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics, and toiletries (2.9% vs 8.5%). Sales growth also moderated for durable goods (4.2% vs 8.6%) and automotive fuel (11.7% vs 12.1%). On a monthly basis, retail activity declined 5.3% in June, significantly improving from a 22% slump in the previous month.

Retail sales in Thailand sank by 20% year-on-year in April 2026, reversing sharply from a 21.3% surge in the previous month. This marked the first annual decline since August last year, driven largely by a steep 37.1% drop in other retail trade after a 36.7% increase in March. Growth in non-durable goods eased to 5.5% from 12.8%, reflecting a decline in beverages (-2.0% vs 8.8%) and slower increases in pharmaceuticals (8.5% vs 14.0%) and tobacco products (0.3% vs 20.1%). Durable goods growth also slowed to 8.6% from 10.0%, as weaker sales of other cultural and recreation goods (-16.5% vs -11.0%) and music and video recordings (-11.0% vs -14.7%) outweighed stronger demand for textiles (39.2% vs 39.0%) and sporting equipment (35.1% vs 38.2%). Department stores and general stores rose 0.4% after rising 6.1%, while sales of motor vehicles and automotive fuel edged up to 6.2% from 5.7%. On a monthly basis, retail sales declined 22.0%, following a 4.8% increase in March.