Canada. Retail sales rise

Retail sales in current dollars rose 0.8% in October to $35.3 billion, the eighth gain in 10 months. Excluding the automotive sector, sales edged down 0.2%.

In volume terms, retail sales increased 0.6% in October. The volume of retail sales has returned to a level last observed before the sharp declines in the last two months of 2008.

All components of the automotive sector (+3.0%) reported higher sales in October. Sales at new car dealers rose for the sixth consecutive month, gaining 3.6%. It was the first month where the value of sales at new car dealers was higher in 2009 than in 2008.

While gasoline stations (+2.5%) registered higher sales for a third consecutive month, their sales level continued to be well below the price-driven peak reached in the summer of 2008. Sales at used and recreational motor vehicles and parts dealers (+2.1%) increased for a sixth consecutive month.

Excluding the automotive sector, retail sales edged down 0.2% in October. Higher sales in five of the seven non-automotive sectors were more than offset by declines in the food and beverage (-1.2%) and pharmacies and personal care (-0.9%) sectors. Supermarket sales were down 1.1%, partially offsetting gains made in September. Sales at beer, wine and liquor stores fell 2.2% after increases in August and September.

The largest increase outside the automotive sector was at clothing and accessories stores, where sales advanced 1.9%, the biggest gain since January 2009. Sales at clothing stores rose 1.6% after recording relatively stable sales since May. Shoe, clothing accessories and jewellery stores (+2.8%) registered a third consecutive month of strong sales increases.

Building and outdoor home supplies stores saw their sales rise 1.2%.
This growth was led by sales at home centres and hardware stores (+1.8%). Sales for this store type have been following an upward trend since the beginning of 2009.

Sales at general merchandisers edged up 0.2% in October after a strong increase in September.

Sales up in seven provinces

Retail sales rose in seven provinces in October. Ontario (+1.3%) was the largest contributor to the increase with a fifth gain in six months.

Sales rose 0.5% in the Atlantic provinces, led by Newfoundland and Labrador (+1.2%) and Nova Scotia (+0.7%).

British Columbia sales increased 1.9%, continuing the upward trend observed since the beginning of 2009.

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