Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade sector experienced slower growth in November, growing by just 4.7% year-on-year.
This was slightly lower than the 5.5% growth recorded in October, according to official data.
Total trade value stood at RM149.3 billion, with sales declining 0.5% from the previous month.
Despite the slowdown, industry experts remain optimistic for a strong recovery in December, driven by festive shopping, school holidays and higher tourist spending.
A hike in civil servant salaries is also expected to boost retail activity.
Retail sales in November rose 5.8% to RM64.8 billion, closely followed by wholesale trade which rose 4.7% to RM66.2 billion.
Meanwhile, the motor vehicle sector also grew by 1.4% as customers postponed car purchases in anticipation of year-end discounts.
E-commerce remained a strong performer, growing by 5.2% due to online shopping events such as the 11.11 promotion, but compared to the previous month the e-commerce sector was seen to decline by 4.3%.
