Retail sales in Thailand fell 20% year-on-year in April 2026, a sharp reversal from the 21.3% jump recorded in March. This was the first annual decline since August of the previous year and was driven mainly by a steep 37.1% contraction in other retail trade, following a 36.7% rise in March.
Growth in non-durable goods slowed markedly to 5.5% from 12.8%. This reflected a downturn in beverages (-2.0% vs 8.8%) and weaker growth in pharmaceuticals (8.5% vs 14.0%) and tobacco products (0.3% vs 20.1%).
Durable goods growth also eased, to 8.6% from 10.0%. Softer sales of other cultural and recreational goods (-16.5% vs -11.0%) and music and video recordings (-11.0% vs -14.7%) more than offset stronger demand for textiles (39.2% vs 39.0%) and sporting equipment (35.1% vs 38.2%).
Sales at department and general stores rose 0.4%, down from 6.1% in the previous month, while sales of motor vehicles and automotive fuel edged up to 6.2% from 5.7%.
On a monthly basis, retail sales dropped 22.0% in April, following a 4.8% increase in March.
