Retailing

Since the reopening of the country’s international borders in April 2022, there have been an increasing number of vending machines available in Malaysia in locations such as highway rest and service areas, petrol stations, universities, hospitals and…

Like hypermarkets, the supermarkets channel struggled for growth during the pandemic as consumers adjusted their shopping behaviour. Due to the restrictions in place and the fear of contagion, alongside a shift to home working arrangements, many…

One of the most important influences of the COVID-19 pandemic on small local grocers was the huge shift towards working from home among white-collar professionals, office workers and service industry personnel. This deprived many small local grocers…

After another difficult year in 2021 when retail was hit by further lockdowns and restrictions, the picture was much brighter in 2022 as the country entered a period of normalisation. The lifting of Malaysia’s international border restrictions in…

E-commerce registered a slower growth in current value terms in 2022 compared to the previous two years. Growth slowed largely due to consumers returning to shopping physical stores after movement restrictions were further relaxed from April 2022.…

Hypermarkets have been facing several challenges, which includes high operating costs and waning consumer appetite for this type of retail format, resulting in some players struggling to survive. The intense competition with convenience stores is…

Mr DIY continued to expand aggressively in Malaysia in 2022, cementing its lead in what is a highly fragmented category. The success of Mr DIY thus far mainly lies in its ability to provide a large variety of good value products under one roof,…

The COVID-19 pandemic helped to increase health awareness in Malaysia and this has led to an increased focus on personal wellbeing and a growing willingness to invest in consumer health products. While COVID-19 fears subsided in 2022 thanks to the…

The use of strict lockdown restrictions in Malaysia during 2020 and 2021 to control the spread of COVID-19 presented a significant challenge to many department stores. This was due to these retail outlets typically being located in busy city centre…

The Malaysian population continued to be adversely affected by the uncertain economic situation that unfolded due to the interruption that the pandemic caused to commercial activity in key sectors of the Malaysian economy. Within this context,…

Category leader Amway saw dynamic growth during the pandemic, reinforcing its leadership in the category as its sales increased substantially over the course of 2020 and 2021. The international direct selling company’s very solid performance towards…

Social distancing measures remain in effect in Malaysia in 2021, with consumers forced to avoid spending time outside of the home wherever possible and huge numbers of white-collar professionals, office workers and service industry personnel working…

After sales growth slowed in 2020 in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the restrictions imposed, appliances and electronics specialists witnessed double-digit growth in current value terms in 2021. The most key factor underpinning this…

Malaysia’s international borders were opened on 1 April 2022, with COVID-19 fears subsiding and the country moving towards a period of normalisation. Since then, movement restrictions have largely relaxed, which have resulted in foot traffic in…

Variety stores registered its second consecutive year of negative sales growth in 2021 as the entire category struggled to recover from the requirement for all variety stores to remain closed throughout the quarantine lockdowns that were imposed upon…

While the vast majority of traditional grocery retailers outlets in the Malaysia are independently owned and operated, there are numerous chained players present in food/drinks/tobacco specialists, with retail bakeries among the formats most commonly…

By the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit Malaysia, more than four-fifths of the country’s population was in possession of a smartphone. With mobile devices the preferred option for accessing the internet among much of the Malaysian population, there…

The very strong growth that has been seen in homeshopping since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic can be attributed mainly to the strict approach taken to social distancing and home seclusion in Malaysia in response to the threat of contagion…

The big news in home and garden specialist retailers in Malaysia in 2021 was the late 2020 IPO of the parent company of category leader Mr DIY. The retailers leadership of home and garden specialist retailers can be attributed mainly to its…

Health and beauty specialist retailers recorded positive growth during 2021, although this only represented a partial recovery from the double-digit sales declines recorded in the category at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020. One of the…