KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 ― Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade has set a new sales record in May 2022, growing by 19.9 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM129.8 billion ― the highest sales recorded since 2013, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin attributed the increase to the retail trade sub-sector which rose by RM13.0 billion or 29.9 per cent y-o-y to RM56.3 billion, adding that wholesale trade also expanded 11.7 per cent y-o-y or RM6.3 billion to RM59.6 billion.

"Sales of motor vehicles also surged 20.1 per cent y-o-y or RM2.3 billion to RM13.9 billion.

"Generally, the overall increase of RM21.5 billion in wholesale and retail trade can be attributed to the lifting of the movement restriction, which enabled Hari Raya Aidilfitri to be celebrated joyfully,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Uzir said the retail trade sub-sector’s growth was supported by retail sales in non-specialised stores which grew 36.3 per cent or RM5.5 billion to RM20.7 billion.

"Likewise, other groups in this sub-sector also recorded positive growth, including retail sales in specialised stores (+30.8 per cent), retail sales of automotive fuels (+54.6 per cent), retail sales of household goods (+23.7 per cent) and retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco (+21.4 per cent).

"Other groups also recorded positive growth, namely retail sales of cultural and recreation goods (+20.1 per cent), retail sales of information and communication equipment (+8.0 per cent), retail sales not in stores, stalls or market (+27.0 per cent), and retail sales in stalls and market (+24.0 per cent),” he said.

Meanwhile, the expansion in wholesale trade was mainly due to the growth in the wholesale of household goods which increased 22.1 per cent or RM2.2 billion to RM11.9 billion.

Groups that contributed to the growth include other specialised wholesale (+8.8 per cent), wholesale of agricultural raw materials and live animals (+17.7 per cent), wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco (+7.4 per cent), wholesale of machinery, equipment and supplies (+10.1 per cent), wholesale on a fee or contract basis (+12.0 per cent), and non-specialised wholesale trade (+3.8 per cent).

On a month-on-month (m-o-m) basis, the sales value of wholesale and retail trade in May 2022 increased by 1.4 per cent from April 2022, contributed by the retail trade sub-sector which rose by 5.1 per cent.

Mohd Uzir said the index of retail sales over the internet for May 2022 also recorded a 25.9 per cent growth y-o-y (April 2022: 24.9 per cent).

In terms of volume index, DoSM reported that wholesale and retail trade for May 2022 registered a y-o-y growth of 14.7 per cent, driven by the retail trade and motor vehicles segments which increased by 24.2 per cent and 21.5 per cent, respectively.

Similarly, wholesale trade also recorded a positive growth of 3.1 per cent. ― Bernama