Overall Performance

The performance of the Distributive Trade sector increased to 5.4 per cent in second quarter 2016. This increase was propelled by Retail Trade sub-sector (8.7%), Wholesale Trade  (4.9%) while Motor Vehicles dropped to –1.8 per cent. On a quarterly basis, sales value showed an increase of 0.8 per cent from RM259.3 billion to RM261.3 billion.

Total number of persons engaged in this sector was 1.7 million persons with an increase of 3.0 per cent or 48,625 persons as compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Quarter-on-quarter, the number of persons engaged rose by 0.5 per cent or 8,999 persons.

Table 1: Performance of Distributive Trade Sector

Performance by Sub-Sector

Wholesale Trade

Sales value of the Wholesale Trade sub-sector registered 4.9 per cent growth to RM127.9 billion as compared to last year. Quarter-on-quarter, this sub-sector recorded an increase of 1.0 per cent.

The growth was contributed by Wholesale of Food, Beverages and Tobacco (8.4%), Wholesale of Machinery, Equipment and Supplies (7.0%) and Non-specialised Wholesale Trade (6.7%).

Number of persons engaged rose by 3.7 per cent or 15,279 persons as compared to the corresponding quarter of 2015. On a quarterly basis, the number of persons engaged increased by 0.8 per cent or 3,441 persons.

Retail Trade

Retail Trade sub-sector recorded an increase in sales value of RM7.9 billion or 8.7 per cent as compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. On a quarterly basis, sales value of this sub-sector decreased by –1.1 per cent.

The increase was driven by Retail Sale via Stalls and Markets (11.7%), Retail Sale of Food, Beverages and Tobacco in Specialised Stores (10.6%) and Retail Sale of Information and Communication Equipment in Specialised Stores (9.5%).

Year-on-year,  the number of  persons engaged  increased by 2.8 per cent  or 27,254 persons. The number of  persons engaged  increased by 0.8 per cent or  7,751 persons in this quarter as compared to the preceding quarter.

Motor Vehicles

In this quarter, sales value of Motor Vehicles sub-sector went down to –1.8 per cent or RM34.9 billion as compared with the same quarter of the preceding year. Quarter-on-quarter, sales value recorded an increase of 5.7 per cent.

The weakening of sales was contributed by Sale of Motor Vehicles (-5.2%), Sale, Maintenance and Repair of Motorcycles and Related Parts and Accessories (1.5%), and Maintenance and Repair of Motor Vehicles (2.4%).

Number of persons engaged registered an increase of 2.5 per cent or 6,093 persons as compared to the same period of the previous year. Quarter-on-quarter, the number of persons engaged decreased by –0.9 per cent or 2,193 persons.

Released By:

THE OFFICE OF CHIEF STATISTICIAN MALAYSIA
DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS, MALAYSIA
11 August 2016

Contact person:
Ho Mei Kei
Public Relation Officer
Corporate and User Services Division
Department of Statistics, Malaysia
Tel : +603-8885 7942
Fax : +603-8888 9248
Email : mkho[at]stats.gov.my