KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 ― Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade sales rose 9.8 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM123.8 billion in March 2022, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said.
On a quarterly basis, the sales of wholesale and retail trade soared to a record high of RM361.0 billion in the first quarter, growing 8.6 per cent.
“The 8.6 per cent increase in first quarter of this year for wholesale and retail trade was underpinned by the retail trade sub-sector which expanded RM12.7 billion or 9.4 per cent to RM147.6 billion.
“This was followed by wholesale trade which rose 6.8 per cent or RM11.0 billion to RM171.7 billion. The motor vehicle sub-sector grew 13.0 per cent or RM4.8 billion to RM41.8 billion in this quarter,” chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said in a statement today.
On a quarter-on-quarter comparison, this sector increased 1.9 per cent.
The chief statistician noted that the index of retail sale over the internet for March 2022 recorded 17.0 per cent growth year-on-year (February 2022: 18.4 per cent).
For seasonally adjusted value, the index declined -1.7 per cent from the previous month, with the index registering year-on-year growth of 18.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2022.
In terms of the volume index, wholesale and retail trade for March 2022 registered a year-on-year growth of 4.8 per cent.
As for the month of March, the increase for wholesale and retail trade was attributed to the retail trade sub-sector which increased RM4.9 billion or 10.8 per cent to RM49.9 billion.
Wholesale trade also expanded 8.6 per cent or RM4.5 billion to RM57.2 billion and within the same period, motor vehicles surged 11.1 per cent or RM1.7 billion to RM16.7 billion.
On performance across sub-sectors, Mohd Uzir said the retail trade sub-sector growth of 10.8 per cent in March 2022 was supported by retail sales in non-specialised stores which grew 16.2 per cent or RM2.6 billion to RM18.7 billion.
Likewise, other groups in this sub-sector also recorded positive growth, namely retail sales in specialised stores at 7.5 per cent, retail sales of household goods (9.6 per cent), retail sales of automotive fuels (7.8 per cent), retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco (9.9 per cent).
The other sectors are retail sales of cultural and recreation goods (11.4 per cent), retail sales not in stores, stalls or market (26.5 per cent), retail sales of information and communication equipment (1.5 per cent), and retail sales in stalls and market (11.8 per cent). ― Bernama
