Malaysia’s retail sales rose 7.2% year-on-year in May 2026, picking up from April’s three-month low of 6.3%. Growth strengthened in several key segments, including non-specialized stores (8.2% vs 6.1% in April), food, beverages and tobacco (7.2% vs 5.8%), retail sales via stalls and markets (8.1% vs 6.4%), automotive fuel (12.8% vs 12.5%), cultural and recreational goods (4.1% vs 3.8%), and trade conducted outside stores, stalls or markets (9.8% vs 8.8%).
By contrast, sales growth eased slightly for information and communication equipment (3.5% vs 3.7%), other household equipment (3.4% vs 3.5%), and other goods (6.7% vs 6.8%). On a month-on-month basis, retail sales increased 1.3%, rebounding from a downwardly revised 1.5% decline in April, the steepest drop since February 2025. Meanwhile, wholesale trade grew 18.4% in May, following a strong 24.1% expansion in April.
