Malaysia

Retail sales of imaging devices continued their to fall in constant value terms during 2023. Such products are being cannibalised by smartphones, which are increasingly ubiquitous in Malaysia. While the quality of a smartphone camera is typically…

Retail constant value sales (2023 prices) of home video products, which consist primarily of televisions, continued to decline in 2023. Growth was restricted by inflationary pressures, which caused some consumers to postpone large, discretionary…

Retail sales of home audio and cinema continued to decline in both volume and current value terms in 2023. The category is dominated by hi-fi systems and home cinema and speaker systems, demand for which is being undermined by the growing popularity…

Headphones saw positive growth in constant value terms in 2023, despite consumer concerns about the cost of living. Increased smartphone use for streaming audio and video content was a key driver of this trend, in addition to the ongoing prevalence…

Consumer electronics in Malaysia saw modest growth in 2023, although sales remained well below 2021 levels in constant value (2023 prices) terms. As the country emerged from the pandemic, consumers became increasingly keen to travel, socialise and…

Retail volume sales of computers and peripherals fell for the second consecutive year in 2023, following strong growth in 2021. The latter was due to a switch to remote working and schooling, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced consumers to spend more…

Plastic pollution is becoming an increasingly pressing concern the world over, and Malaysia is no different. In an effort to minimise the amount of plastic waste it generates, Colgate-Palmolive introduced 100% recyclable HDPE tubes for its toothpaste…

Domestic sweet biscuit manufacturers in Malaysia, notably Munchy Food Industries and Perfect Food, are enjoying the benefits of a strong supply chain in 2023, owing to their ability to source key raw materials such as flour and sugar, locally.…

In 2023, medicated confectionery and standard mints are posting the most significant current value growth within sugar confectionery overall in Malaysia. During the pandemic and as a result of subsequent extremely hot weather, local consumers turned…

The ongoing inflation in Malaysia is set to continue exerting an upward pressure on unit prices in 2023, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in 2022. This rising trend, notably within the confectionery sector, is impacting consumer behaviour.…

Savoury snacks in Malaysia is grappling with a persistent disruption in the supply of raw materials in 2023. This supply shortage, coupled with price increases, has led to a surge in production costs, particularly impacting potato chips and other…

Ice cream volume sales in foodservice are outpacing those within retail in Malaysia in 2023, with the latter in decline, indicating a significant change in consumer behaviour. With the pandemic lockdown lifted in 2022, consumers resumed dining out in…

As volume sales continue to decline dramatically across both chewing gum and bubble gum, the growth of chewing gum in Malaysia has slowed down slightly in current value terms in 2023 when compared to the previous year. A key contributing factor to…

2023 is seeing innovative product development proving to be a significant driver of demand for countlines and chocolate pouches and bags in chocolate confectionery in Malaysia. Among the key players, Nestlé is showing a particular focus on…

Malaysia’s international borders were finally fully reopened to foreign tourists in April 2022. This provided a huge boost to local on-trade operators and in turn helped to stimulate sales of still light grape wine. Imported wine from Australia…

Sales of spirits rebounded strongly in total volume terms in 2022 although the performances of the different categories varied. For instance, standard vodka as well as standard and premium English gin enjoyed healthy growth in total volume terms in…

Wine-based RTDs was the most dynamic category in total volume terms in 2022. This was a turnaround in fortunes for a category which was in decline even before the pandemic. The category benefited from the lifting of restrictions on bars/pubs and…

There was high global inflation in 2022 due to various factors including the fallout from the pandemic and importantly Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This in turn led to an increase in the cost of raw materials. In particular packaging costs…

Domestic mid-priced lager brands like Tiger, Carlsberg Green Pilsner, Heineken and Anchor Smooth enjoyed strong growth in 2022 due to their visibility on retailers’ shelves and wide channel coverage in both the off-trade and on-trade. Consumers…

On-trade RTD volume sales continued to see solid growth in 2022, while off-trade sales only experienced minor growth. This was due to consumers returning to food service establishments following the lifting of all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in…