PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s wholesale & retail trade recorded sales value of RM142.3 billion, increased 6.5% year-on-year in October 2023. However, sales value fell marginally -0.3% as compared to September 2023.
This was disclosed by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) when releasing the performance of wholesale & retail trade, October 2023.
Chief Statistician Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said, “The increase of 6.5% year-on-year for wholesale & retail trade in October 2023 was driven by wholesale trade sub-sector, which rose 5.7% or RM3.4 billion to register RM63.3 billion. Retail trade also expanded by registering 3.9% or RM2.3 billion to RM60.6 billion, followed by motor vehicles with a double-digit growth of 19.1% or RM3 billion to settle at RM18.4 billion.”
Meanwhile, the marginal decrease of -0.3% from the previous month was attributed to wholesale trade which contracted -1.4%, followed by retail trade with -0.8%. On the other hand, motor vehicles rebounded 5.2%.
Looking at the performance across sub-sectors, Mohd Uzir said, “The growth of 5.7% year-on-year in wholesale trade was contributed by other specialised wholesale which rose RM1.7 billion or 7.5% to RM24.4 billion. This was followed by wholesale of household goods (4.7%), wholesale of agricultural raw materials & live animals (8.9%), wholesale of food, beverages & tobacco (3.3%), wholesale of machinery, equipment & supplies (3.4%), non-specialised wholesale trade (5.7%), and wholesale on a fee or contract basis (4.2%).”
However, for monthly comparison, he added wholesale trade decreased -1.4% mainly due to other specialised wholesale (-2.8%), wholesale of food, beverages & tobacco (-2.5%), and wholesale of agricultural raw materials & live animals (-3.5%).
On retail trade sub-sector, he said the increase of 3.9% year-on-year in this month was supported by retail sales in non-specialised stores which grew 6.1% or RM1.3 billion to RM22.9 billion. Other groups in this sub-sector also recorded positive growth namely retail sales of food, beverages & tobacco (10.8%), retail sales in specialised stores (2.2%), retail sales of automotive fuel (4.8%), retail sales of household goods (2.0%), retail sales of cultural & recreation goods (1.5%), retail sales in stalls & market (5.2%), and retail sales not in stores, stalls or market (0.2%).
Conversely, for month-on-month comparison, sales of this sub-sector edged down -0.8%, pulled down by retail sales in non-specialised stores (-1.2%), retail sales in specialised stores (-1.1%), retail sales of information & communication equipment (-1.4%), and retail sales of food, beverages & tobacco (-1.3%).
Mohd Uzir remarked that the year-on-year growth of 19.1% for motor vehicles sub-sector in this month was fueled by sales of motor vehicles which accelerated 24.6% or RM2 billion to record RM10.3 billion. This was followed by sales of motor vehicles parts & accessories (16.1%) and maintenance & repair of motor vehicles (17.7%).
For monthly comparison, he said this sub-sector grew 5.2%, supported by sales of motor vehicles (8.6%), sales, maintenance & repair of motorcycles (7%), sales of motor vehicles parts & accessories (0.4%), and maintenance & repair of motor vehicles (0.5%).
