Taiwan's wholesale turnover in April rose 25.2% annually to NT$1.543 trillion, supported by rapid expansion in emerging technology applications and higher petrochemical raw material prices, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
Machinery and equipment wholesale surged 44.3%, while chemical materials wholesale climbed 22.3%. Food, beverage and tobacco wholesale, along with pharmaceutical and cosmetics wholesale, increased 7.4% and 7%, respectively. However, household appliances and supplies wholesale fell 6.5% amid weak market demand.
Retail sales for the month rose 5.2% from a year earlier to NT$404.8 billion, thanks to promotional campaigns tied to the Qingming Festival and Mother's Day holidays, as well as demand for new consumer electronics products.
Department stores, textiles and apparel retailers, e-commerce and mail-order businesses, ICT and home appliance retailers, and convenience stores recorded growth of 12.6%, 14.1%, 9.1%, 11%, and 5.5%, respectively. Whereas, Auto and motorcycle retail sales declined 4.6%.
Meanwhile, the food and beverage sector posted NT$85.2 billion in turnover, up 4.5% year on year, benefiting from holiday demand, expansion efforts, co-branded products, and beverage promotions, the data showed.