In October 2025, Taiwan experienced a 1.9% year-on-year increase in retail sales, marking a recovery from the revised 1.6% decline witnessed in the prior month. This resurgence was primarily driven by accelerated growth in several sectors: general merchandise stores saw an increase of 2.9% compared to 1.8% in September, food, beverages, and tobacco rose by 9.4% from 6.8%, cultural and recreation goods surged by 17.6% from 7.8%, and communication equipment and household appliances grew by 5.6% from 3.5%. Additionally, sales in other retail sectors increased by 12.5% compared to 3.9%.
Moreover, specialty stores selling textiles and clothing showed positive momentum with a 2.1% increase, reversing a previous decline of 1.8%. Pharmaceutical and medical goods in specialized stores improved by 2.0% after experiencing a 3.7% decline, and fuel and related products rose by 0.9% from a previous drop of 7.6%. However, there was a deceleration in retail trade that occurred outside traditional stores or stalls, which slowed to 3.1% from 6.7%, and electronic shopping and mail-order houses, which moderated to 3.7% from 9.4%. On the downside, specialized stores focusing on household appliances and goods continued to decline, showing a further drop to -6.3% from -3.2%. On a month-to-month basis, retail sales activity increased by 5.6% in October, up from a 1.2% rise in September.
