Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that there were 15,817 wholesale & retail establishments, market stalls and fixed street stalls operating in 2023, a decrease of 10 year-on-year; total number of persons engaged dropped by 832 to 64,693. Wholesale & Retail Trade was back on the growth track following the resumption of economic activity, with receipts increasing by 27% year-on-year to MOP136.41 billion. Expenditure (excluding depreciation, taxes and interest) amounted to MOP120.96 billion, up by 18.5%. Gross Surplus surged by 170.8% to MOP18.37 billion. Gross Value Added that measures the sectoral contribution to the economy totalled MOP29.36 billion, an upsurge of 71.2% year-on-year.

Wholesale establishments totalled 6,969, a decrease of 92 year-on-year; the number of persons engaged went down by 875 to 21,444. Receipts of Wholesale Trade increased by 11.6% year-on-year to MOP42.67 billion, with receipts from Wholesale of Food, Beverages & Tobacco (MOP13.79 billion), Wholesale of Consumer Goods such as electrical appliances, medicines and hygiene products (MOP10.53 billion) and Wholesale of Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (MOP7.39 billion) rising by 7%, 12.2% and 39.7% respectively. Expenditure went up by 8.9% year-on-year to MOP39.71 billion, mainly driven by a 9.3% growth in Purchase of Goods & Commissions. Operating Expenses climbed by 13.8% year-on-year while Compensation of Employees dropped by 1.7%. Gross Surplus stood at MOP3.43 billion, up by 75.9% year-on-year.

There were 6,560 retail establishments, an increase of 184 year-on-year; the number of persons engaged went down by 151 to 36,928. Receipts of Retail Trade grew by 37.9% year-on-year to MOP87.44 billion, of which receipts from Retail Sale of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (MOP22.56 billion), Leather Articles (MOP18.9 billion) and Goods in Department Stores (MOP14.33 billion) swelled by 63.6%, 80.7% and 44.8% respectively. On the other hand, receipts from Retail Sale of Goods in Supermarkets (MOP5.91 billion) dropped by 2.4%. Expenditure of Retail Trade went up by 25.4% year-on-year to MOP75.51 billion, with Purchase of Goods & Commissions, Operating Expenses and Compensation of Employees rising by 28.7%, 23.2% and 9% respectively. Gross Surplus soared by 222.4% to MOP14.22 billion, of which Gross Surplus of establishments engaged in Retail Sale of Leather Articles (MOP7.69 billion) and Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (MOP4.56 billion) expanded by 141.5% and 224.3% respectively, while Gross Surplus of Supermarkets (MOP159 million) fell by 3.9%.

There were 1,142 establishments engaged in Sale of Motor Vehicles & Automotive Fuel, a decrease of 14 year-on-year; meanwhile, the number of persons engaged increased by 341 to 4,407. Receipts of these establishments rose by 15.3% year-on-year to MOP5.47 billion. Besides, expenditure grew by 11.9% to MOP5.04 billion, of which Compensation of Employees, Purchase of Goods & Commissions and Operating Expenses climbed by 14.6%, 12.2% and 6.9% respectively. Gross Surplus of these establishments leapt by 87.1% year-on-year to MOP595 million.

Number of market stalls and fixed stalls on the street totalled 1,146, with 1,914 persons engaged; these figures represented respective decreases of 88 and 147 year-on-year. Receipts (MOP826 million) and expenditure (MOP703 million) of these stalls slipped by 18.5% and 22.6% respectively, while Gross Surplus (MOP123 million) increased by 16.4%.

Wholesale and Retail Survey covers wholesale and retail establishments operating in Macao in 2023 (excluding food and beverage takeaway shops that have been incorporated into Restaurants and Similar Establishments Survey). Establishments engaged in repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods, as well as markets stalls and fixed street stalls, are also referred to as “Wholesale and Retail Trade”.