KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade sales rose 7.3% year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM159.8 billion in January 2026, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.
In a statement today, Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said retail trade recorded total sales of RM70.2 billion in January, an increase of RM4.1 billion, representing a 6.1% y-o-y growth.
Meanwhile, wholesale trade posted sales of RM70.8 billion, rising by RM4 billion or 6% y-o-y.
The motor vehicles sub-sector continued to demonstrate notable expansion, registering total sales of RM18.8 billion, an increase of RM2.8 billion, translating into a y-o-y growth of 17.3%.
Mohd Uzir said retail trade growth was largely driven by higher sales in non-specialised stores, which rose 7.9% to RM27.5 billion, supported by stronger demand at provision stores, department stores and supermarkets.
“The overall improvement in retail activity was mainly attributed to the school holidays, New Year celebrations, the disbursement of Bantuan Awal Persekolahan, as well as early preparations for the Chinese New Year festivities.”
Retail sales in specialised stores expanded 5.4% to RM14.7 billion, supported by stronger demand for pharmaceuticals, medical and orthopaedic goods as well as jewellery.
Retail sales of automotive fuels increased 7% to RM6.5 billion, while sales of household equipment rose 3.3% to RM7.8 billion, driven by higher purchases of construction materials and hardware, household furniture, as well as household utensils and crockery.
Mohd Uzir said wholesale trade maintained steady performance during the month, with the wholesale of household goods expanding by 9.4% to RM15.2 billion. “This increase was mainly attributed to stronger sales of perfumeries, cosmetics, soap and toiletries, stationery, books, magazines and newspapers, as well as jewellery.”
Other specialised wholesale activities recorded growth of 4.3% to RM25.7 billion, supported by higher demand for construction materials, fertilisers and agrochemical products, as well as timber and related products.
“Growth was also underpinned by the wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco, which recorded a 5.8% increase, driven by higher sales of rice, other grains, flour and sugars, fish and other seafood, and coffee, tea, cocoa and other beverages,” Mohd Uzir said.
The motor vehicles sub-sector’s strong performance was driven mainly by motor vehicle sales, which reached RM9 billion, a 25.9% y-o-y increase.
“The strong performance was partly supported by year-opening promotional campaigns by automotive dealers and increased consumer demand ahead of the festive season, which traditionally encourages higher vehicle purchases and replacement demand.
“This performance is consistent with data from the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA), which reported 64,298 vehicles sold, while the Road Transport Department Malaysia (JPJ) recorded 67,995 vehicle registrations during the month,” Mohd Uzir said.
He added that other groups contributing to the expansion of the sub-sector included sales, maintenance and repair of motorcycles (32.7%); sales of motor vehicle parts and accessories (6.2%); as well as maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (9.3%), reflecting continued demand for vehicle servicing and aftermarket components.
Meanwhile, online retail sales continued to grow in January, rising 5.9% y-o-y compared with 8.9% recorded in the previous month.
Digital payment activities maintained strong momentum, with e-money transactions surging 55.4% year-on-year to RM30.3 billion, while real-time retail payment platform transactions amounted to RM359 billion, recording growth of 23.5%.
Financial process exchange transactions expanded 32.6% to RM51.2 billion, while credit and debit card transactions were recorded at RM20.7 billion and RM14.6 billion, respectively.
In terms of the volume index, wholesale and retail trade recorded a 5.8% year-on-year increase, driven mainly by the motor vehicles sub-sector, which grew 15.9%. However, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the volume index declined by 2.4% month-on-month.
