Retail And Service Sector Surges 22.2% In First Quarter
Thailand's retail and service sector surged 22.2% in the first quarter of 2025, driven by recovering consumer spending and tourism activity across the nation's 10,000-plus surveyed businesses. Total sales reached 2.079 trillion baht, with a
Thailand's retail and service sector jumped 22.2% in the first quarter of 2025, supported by reviving consumer spending and tourism activity. Ekpongse Hirunchai, director of the National Statistics Office, announced results from a quarterly sales survey of over 10,000 businesses nationwide across retail, accommodation, food and beverage services, film and video production, entertainment, sports, and personal services. Overall retail and service businesses continued expanding compared to both the previous quarter and the same period last year, reflecting strong domestic consumption and service sector growth.
Total sales and revenue for retail and service businesses in Q1 2025 reached 2.079 trillion baht, broken down as follows: retail businesses 1.584 trillion baht, food and beverage services 201.9 billion baht, accommodation 182.9 billion baht, personal and household goods repair 59.0 billion baht, arts, entertainment and recreation 23.8 billion baht, film and video production 22.8 billion baht, and personal goods rental 4.9 billion baht.
Compared to Q4 2024, total revenue increased 12.3%. The fastest-growing segment was personal and household goods repair services, up 26.2%, followed by accommodation up 18.3% and retail trade up 12.7%. Arts, entertainment and recreation was the only sector declining, down 2.3%.
Year-on-year comparison showed overall revenue growth of 22.2%. Personal and household goods repair services led with 44.3% growth, followed by accommodation at 32.9%, film and video production at 22.5%, retail trade at 21.2%, and food and beverage services at 19.1%.
Ekpongse noted that retail inventory at the end of Q1 2025 increased 2.0% compared to the previous quarter and 0.3% year-on-year, reflecting merchants stocking goods across multiple categories. Food, beverages and tobacco inventory rose 43.1%, books and stationery 28.4%, and clothing and footwear 17.9%. Conversely, computer and communications equipment inventory fell 10.7%, mail and internet retail dropped 19.8%, and general retail stores like supermarkets declined 36.1%. This demonstrates that Thailand's consumer and service economy continued its recovery momentum in early 2025, particularly in tourism-related and personal services businesses, which remain key economic drivers.
