KUALA LUMPUR, February 9 ― Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade recorded the highest monthly sales value at RM120.5 billion in December, with annual sales registering a 4% growth for reach RM1.3 trillion in 2021 from the previous year, according to Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
On a monthly comparison, the value of wholesale and retail sales rose 2.5%, supported by the reopening of various economic sectors, including interstate travel. Recall that sales for the whole of 2020 contracted by 5.9%, a historic low.
In a statement released today, Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the 2021 performance was supported by wholesale trade, which rose 6.4% to RM641.8 billion, followed by retail which increased by 4.4% to RM533.6 billion.
On the other hand, the motor vehicles sub-sector recorded a decline in sales compared to 2020, down 8.2% to RM124 billion. Compared to pre-pandemic sales in 2019, the sector contracted by 2.0%.
On a month-to-month basis, the 3.5% rise in wholesale and retail trade in December was driven by the retail trade subsector, which rose 3.5% to RM48.5 billion, mainly due to the 6% growth in non-specialized trade. stores at RM18 billion.
However, specialty store retail sales remained negative, contracting 3.1%. The Internet retail sales index for December recorded a growth of 20.7% compared to a year ago.
At the wholesale level, wholesale also increased with a growth of 4.1% to RM57.6 billion in December 2021, driven by an 8.1% expansion to RM11.5 billion. RM in food, beverages and tobacco, followed by agricultural raw materials and live animals with Growth of 14.7% to RM4.7 billion.
Similarly, other specialist wholesalers increased by 2.3% to RM22.5 billion.
Month over month, wholesale trade rose 2.2%, led by household goods which rose 4.4%.
Meanwhile, Mohd Uzir said the 1.5% growth recorded in the motor vehicle subsector was mainly attributed to sales of auto parts and accessories which rose 11.7% to 3.5 billion RM. Motor vehicle sales in December fell 4.5%.
On a quarterly comparison, the fourth quarter of 2021 (Q4 2021) saw wholesale trade increase by 5.1% to RM169.7 billion, supporting wholesale and retail trade combined. Retail trade grew by 5.0% to RM142.6 billion.
The quarterly motor vehicle subsector also grew by 5.3% to RM42 billion.
In a separate statement, Mohd Uzir said the wholesale and retail trade volume index rebounded 1.4% in the fourth quarter of 2021, bringing the overall performance of this index for 2021 to 2.1%.
The increase was attributed to the motor vehicle subsector, which rose 3.7%, followed by retail trade at 2.0%. However, wholesale trade edged down 0.03% over the period.
For quarter-over-quarter comparison, the volume index jumped 16.3%, supported by motor vehicles which jumped 136.9%.
Compared to the fourth quarter of 2019, the volume index increased by 2.1%.
“As for the seasonally adjusted volume index, wholesale and retail trade climbed 15.3% compared to the third quarter of 2021.
“All subsectors recorded positive growth, namely motor vehicles (137.1%), retail trade (8.5%) and wholesale trade (6.0%),” he said. he noted.
Mohd Uzir added that the wholesale and retail trade volume index ended 2021 with 124.1 points after a growth of 2.1% due to wholesale and retail trade, which increased by 3, 8% and 3.4%, respectively.
In terms of the pre-pandemic comparison, the sector remained below the 2019 figure with a negative of 4.2%, dragged down by the motor vehicles sub-sector, which fell by 10.2 %. ― Bernama
