Malaysia’s retail sales rose 6.4% year-on-year in July 2026, slightly below the 6.6% increase recorded in June and marking the slowest growth since April. The moderation reflected weaker sales in several categories, including automotive fuel in specialised stores (7.5% vs 10.8% in June), information and communication equipment in specialised stores (4.3% vs 4.7%), other household equipment in specialised stores (3.1% vs 3.2%), food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (6.4% vs 6.6%), and cultural and recreation goods in specialised stores (3.3% vs 3.7%).
By contrast, sales at non-specialised stores saw a slight acceleration (7.2% vs 7% in June), and sales of other goods in specialised stores strengthened further (7.6% vs 7%). On a month-on-month basis, retail sales fell 1%, reversing a 0.2% gain in June.
Elsewhere in the distribution sector, wholesale trade growth eased to a five-month low of 11.7% from 12.4%, while motor vehicle sales growth decelerated sharply to 7.9% from 14.9%.
