KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's wholesale and retail trade sector registered a 4.7 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) growth with total sales of RM149.2 billion in August 2024, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth was primarily driven by the retail trade sub-sector, which increased 5.9 per cent to RM64.1 billion.
The motor vehicles sub-sector expanded by 4.1 per cent to RM18.9 billion, while wholesale trade grew by 3.7 per cent to RM66.2 billion.
"On a month-on-month (m-o-m) basis, this sector recorded a 0.1 per cent increase, reflecting sustained consumer demand and stable market conditions," he said in a statement today.
Mohd Uzir noted that the retail sales in non-specialised stores led the retail trade sub-sector by contributing RM24.8 billion, with a strong 7.8 per cent y-o-y rise and a 1.4 per cent m-o-m growth.
The retail sales of food, beverages, and tobacco also performed well, posting RM4.1 billion in sales, marking 6.8 per cent year-on-year and a 1.3 per cent month-on-month increase.
Meanwhile, retail sales of automotive fuel sales saw steady progress, growing 5.3 per cent y-o-y and 0.6 per cent m-o-m to reach RM6.0 billion, he added.
The chief statistician said the wholesale of agricultural raw materials and live animals contributed RM6.2 billion, with a strong y-o-y increase of 7.8 per cent despite a small m-o-m dip of -0.3 per cent.
According to Mohd Uzir, the index of retail sales over the internet grew 6.5 per cent year-on-year in August 2024, as compared to 5.7 per cent in July 2024.
For seasonally adjusted value, the index rose 4.7 per cent as against the previous month, he said.
After netting out the effect of price changes, the volume index of wholesale and retail trade for August 2024 registered a y-o-y growth of 3.8 per cent.
"The expansion was contributed by retail trade which stood at 4.0 per cent. This was followed by wholesale trade (3.8 per cent) and motor vehicles (2.8 per cent).
"However, for the seasonally adjusted volume index, it went down -2.9 per cent m-o-m," said Mohd Uzir. - Bernama
