After rocky year, industry hopes festive season will perk up sales

Buying spree: Customers busy shopping in time for Christmas during the Year End Sale at Sogo shopping complex, Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR: The retail industry, which went through a sluggish nine months this year, is hoping for a recovery as the festive season and annual year-end sales take off.

This has been a shaky year for the industry which opened with a 4.4% drop in sales in the first quarter and grew by a lower-than-expected 7.5% in the second quarter, according to a report by Retail Group Malaysia.