Thailand Retail Sales Fall for 3rd Month

Retail sales in Thailand accelerated to 15.2% year-on-year in August 2026, rebounding from a revised 5.9% decline in the previous month and returning to growth after four consecutive months of annual contraction. Sales rose for durable goods (5.5% vs. 3.3% in July), particularly computers, peripheral units, software and telecommunications equipment (20.7% vs. 10.4%), and textiles, clothing and footwear sold via stalls and markets (47.6% vs. 1.2%). Meanwhile, sales of other retail goods rebounded (21.3% vs. -23.5%), driven by a recovery in sales of new goods in specialized stores (20.5% vs. -25.4%). Conversely, retail activity eased slightly for non-durable goods (6.0% vs. 7.3%), department stores, supermarkets and general stores (23.6% vs. 24.3%), and motor vehicles and automotive fuel (7.3% vs. 7.6%). On a monthly basis, retail trade rebounded to 16.5% in September from a 5.8% decline in August.

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.