KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s July 2025 wholesale and retail trade registered total sales of RM156.4 billion, a five per cent growth year-on-year (y-o-y), according to the Statistics Department Malaysia (DOSM).
In a statement today, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said growth was primarily supported by wholesale and retail sub-sectors.
"The wholesale trade sub-sector recorded RM70.1 billion in sales, a y-o-y 5.4 per cent increase while retail trade was up by 5.6 per cent, posting a steady growth of RM67.0 billion in sales.
"The motor vehicles sub-sector recorded RM19.3 billion in sales, a modest 1.6 per cent y-o-y rise,” he said.
Alongside wholesale and retail trade growth, Mohd Uzir said digital payments continued to accelerate in July 2025, which further supported retail activities.
E-money transactions surged 69.8 per cent y-o-y to RM22.8 billion, while real-time retail payment platform (RPP) usage climbed to RM311.5 billion, underscoring consumers’ growing preference for instant and seamless transactions.
"Similarly, FPX transactions rose 23.4 per cent to RM41.4 billion in tandem with the rising adoption of online banking. Credit card spending remained stable at RM18.8 billion and debit card usage grew 5.4 per cent to RM13.3 billion.
"Collectively, these trends highlight the deepening of digital payments and reinforce Malaysia’s transition towards a more cashless economy,” he added.
On performance across sub-sectors, Mohd Uzir said wholesale trade continued to expand steadily in July 2025, with other specialised wholesale trade recording a four per cent y-o-y increase to RM25.8 billion, driven by higher sales of petrol, diesel, lubricants, construction materials, hardware, and plumbing supplies.
On retail trade sub-sector performance, he said sales in non-specialised stores grew by 5.5 per cent y-o-y to RM25.8 billion, mainly supported by higher sales in provision stores, mini markets, department stores, and supermarkets.
Meanwhile, online retail sales recorded encouraging growth in July, with the online retail sales index rising 5.8 per cent y-o-y. This indicates continued consumer preference for digital shopping platforms. On a month-on-month basis, it was up 1.2 per cent after seasonal adjustment.
In terms of volume index, he said the wholesale and retail trade improved 4.6 per cent y-o-y, driven mainly by wholesale trade (5.9 per cent), retail trade (4.4 per cent) and motor vehicles (0.9 per cent), with a 2.8 per cent m-o-m increase after seasonal adjustment. - Bernama
