Retail sales in Malaysia increased by 6.3% year-on-year in April 2026, the weakest growth in three months, after a 7.5% rise in March. The slowdown was driven by softer sales growth in several categories, including non-specialised stores (6.1% vs 8.1% in March), food, beverages and tobacco (5.8% vs 7.9%), and information and communication equipment (3.7% vs 5.9%). Growth also eased for other household equipment (3.5% vs 4.1%), other goods (6.8% vs 8.2%), and retail sales via stalls and markets (6.4% vs 9.3%).
By contrast, sales growth strengthened for automotive fuel (12.5% vs 10.6%), cultural and recreation goods (3.8% vs 2.7%), and trade not conducted in stores, stalls or markets (8.8% vs 8.5%). On a month-on-month basis, retail sales fell by 1.8%, reversing the 2.8% increase recorded in March and marking the steepest decline since February 2025. Meanwhile, wholesale trade surged 24.1%, accelerating from a 15.7% gain in the previous month.
