FX.co ★ Malaysia October Retail Sales Growth Eases to 6.8%

In October 2025, retail sales in Malaysia rose by 6.8% compared to the same month the previous year, slightly down from the 7% growth witnessed in September, which was the highest in eight months. This slowdown was attributed to reduced sales in several sectors: non-specialised stores saw growth decline to 9.1% from 9.9%; trade conducted outside traditional store environments, such as stalls and markets, fell to 8.6% from 9.2%; sales of automotive fuel in specialised outlets increased slightly to 7.2% from 7.0%; sales of other specialised goods decreased to 5.2% from 5.8%; cultural and recreational goods sales also slowed down to 4.3% from 4.6%; and other household equipment sales in specialised outlets grew by 2.8%, down from 2.5%. In contrast, there was a notable uptick in sales for food, beverages, and tobacco in specialised outlets, which rose to 6.9% from 6.2%, and for information and communication equipment, which increased significantly to 6.5% from 4.2%. On a month-to-month comparison, retail sales grew by 0.6% in October, a decrease from the 2.4% growth recorded in September.