Economic and industry statisticsEconomy and markets
Canadian retail sales rise 1.2% in August
Sales reached C$74.6 billion, with gains led by motor vehicle dealers and increases recorded in six provinces.
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Canadian retail sales increased 1.2 per cent to C$74.6 billion in August, Statistics Canada reported on October 23. The increase followed a 0.7 per cent decline in July. Sales rose in all nine retail subsectors, with motor vehicle and parts dealers contributing the largest gain. On a volume basis, which adjusts current-dollar sales for price changes, retail activity also rose 1.2 per cent. Core retail sales, excluding gasoline stations and motor vehicle dealers, increased 1.1 per cent after falling 0.7 per cent in July.
The motor vehicle and parts subsector grew 1.2 per cent in August. New-car dealers were up 1.5 per cent, reversing a 1.4 per cent decline the previous month. Automotive parts, accessories and tire retailers gained 1.4 per cent, while used-car dealers and other motor vehicle dealers declined. Gasoline stations and fuel vendors recorded a 1.7 per cent sales increase, their first gain in three months, even though their sales volume fell 0.5 per cent. The difference between dollars and volume is a reminder that a higher sales total can reflect both prices and quantities.
Among core categories, food and beverage retailers advanced 1.1 per cent after two monthly declines, with each of the four store types rising. General merchandise retailers gained 1.0 per cent after dropping 1.7 per cent in July. Health and personal care retailers increased for a tenth consecutive month, rising 1.6 per cent. These are sector-level changes rather than store-level results; Statistics Canada’s release does not identify individual retailers.
Provincial results were mixed but positive in most regions. Six provinces posted gains. Ontario had the largest increase in dollar terms, with sales up 2.2 per cent; Toronto sales climbed 4.0 per cent. British Columbia rose 2.1 per cent, and Vancouver was also up 2.1 per cent. Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia recorded monthly increases. Sales slipped 0.1 per cent in Alberta and 0.6 per cent in each of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Statistics Canada reports these numbers seasonally adjusted so that comparisons are less affected by predictable calendar and seasonal patterns.
Online retail was another expanding segment. E-commerce sales rose 1.1 per cent to C$5.6 billion in August, equal to 7.6 per cent of total retail trade. The agency cautions that common digital transactions such as travel and accommodation bookings, ticket purchases and financial transactions are not counted as retail e-commerce in this measure. The figure therefore applies to the survey’s retail categories and definitions, rather than all spending completed online.
Statistics Canada’s survey documentation says the monthly retail estimate combines responses from a sample of retailers with administrative information. It covers sales, e-commerce and store locations by geography. The agency may revise earlier months as more complete information arrives; the August table marks the latest value as preliminary, and the release notes that recent months can change. The survey’s advance indicator suggested sales rose 0.7 per cent in September, based on responses from 58.5 per cent of surveyed businesses. Statistics Canada explicitly identifies that figure as an unofficial early estimate subject to revision. It is a signal for the next month, not a final September result.
For construction, transport, energy and consumer-goods supply chains, the retail data provide a downstream demand indicator, but the release alone does not establish why consumers bought more or what that means for any one manufacturer. The observed increase was broad across retail categories, with vehicles and fuel both contributing. September’s official retail data were scheduled for November 20, leaving the early indicator as the only September figure available in this release.
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