PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade sales rose 9.8% year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM169bil in March 2026, according to the Statistics Department.
For the first quarter ended of 2026 (1Q26), total wholesale and retail trade sales totalled to RM485.1bil, up 7.5% from RM451.4bil in 1Q25.
The department said the volume index of wholesale and retail trade increased 4.9% y-o-y in 1Q26, although it declined 1.2% quarter-on-quarter.
Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said overall sales growth in March was driven by continued strength in the wholesale and retail trade sub-sectors.
Wholesale trade recorded total sales of RM78.4bil, an increase of RM10.6bil from March 2025, representing growth of 15.7% y-o-y, while retail trade posted sales of RM72bil, up RM5bil from a year earlier, translating into growth of 7.5%.
But, the motor vehicles sub-sector saw sales decline by RM600mil y-o-y to RM18.6bil.
On the retail trade sub-sector, Mohd Uzir said it continued to demonstrate steady performance in March, led by retail sales in non-specialised stores, which expanded 8.1% year-on-year to RM27.9bil.
“This growth was supported by continued strength in supermarkets, mini markets,and department stores,” he noted in a statement.
He added that retail sales in specialised stores also increased 8.2% to RM15.4bil, underpinned by higher demand for pharmaceuticals, medical and orthopaedic goods, perfumery and cosmetics, clothing and jewellery.
In addition, retail sales of automotive fuels rose 10.6%, supported by increased travel activity during the festive celebrations.
On the wholesale trade sub-sector, Mohd Uzir said growth was mainly driven by the other specialised wholesale segment, which surged 32% y-o-y to RM32.6bil.
“The increase was largely attributed to higher sales of petrol, diesel and lubricants following the rise in crude oil prices amid the current global economic conditions,” he noted.
Moreover, he said higher sales were recorded for construction materials, fertilizers and agrochemical products, as well as liquefied petroleum gas.
He said wholesale of household goods expanded by 7.9% to RM15.6bil, supported by continued growth in sales of pharmaceutical and medical goods, household furniture, and footwear.
He said wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco rose by 5.4%, underpinned by increased sales of vegetables, fruits,and biscuits, cakes, bread & other bakery products.
“Furthermore, the wholesale of agricultural raw materials and live animals recorded a 5.7% increase to RM6.6bil, mainly attributed to stronger demand for palm oil.”
Mohd Uzir attributed the motor vehicles sub-sector’s decline in March to a 12.5% contraction in motor vehicle sales, amounting to RM8.9bil.
“This trend was consistent with data from the Malaysian Automotive Association, which reported total vehicle sales of 63,489 units,while the Road Transport Department recorded 67,846 vehicle registrations during the same period,” it said.
“Other groups within the sub-sector continued to record positive growth, including sales of motor vehicle parts & accessories (7.6%), maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (9.8%), as well as sales, maintenance and repair of motorcycles (0.6%), reflecting sustained demand for vehicle servicing and aftermarket components.”
Mohd Uzir said online retail sales continued to record growth in March, with the sales index rising by 6.4% y-o-y, compared with 5.8% in the previous month.
He said digital payment activities continued to strengthen in March, with e-money transactions surging by 64.3% y-o-y to RM33.3bil, reflecting the growing adoption of cashless payment methods.
He added that the real-time retail payments platform also maintained strong performance, with total transactions amounting to RM369.4bil, representing a growth of 24.1%.
“FPX transactions increased by 20.4% to RM48.7bil. Credit card and debit card transactions were recorded at RM20.1bil and RM15.5bil, respectively.”
