FX.co ★ Taiwan Retail Sales Fall for 2nd Month

In May 2025, Taiwan experienced a 0.6% decline in retail sales compared to the same month the previous year, mirroring the 0.6% decrease observed in April. The contraction in sales was particularly notable across several categories: household appliances and goods decreased by 2.8% (compared to a 2.6% drop in April), fuel and related products fell by 8.4% (down from 5.1%), motor vehicles and motorcycles plummeted by 18% (from 5.2%), and retail trade not conducted in physical stores declined by 1.2% (down from a 0.3% decrease). Furthermore, the growth in sales for food, beverages, and tobacco slowed to 9.4% from 10.6%, construction materials to 3.9% from 7.6%, and other retail to 3.5% from 11.8%. Conversely, there was an acceleration in sales growth for general merchandise, which rose by 6.4% (up from 2.5%), and pharmaceutical, medical goods, and cosmetics, which increased by 3.4% (up from 1.1%). On a month-to-month basis, retail activity in May saw a robust 2.6% growth, recovering from a 2.1% dip in the previous month.