Retail uptrend influenced by motor vehicle and parts dealers

A new Statistics Canada report has attributed the slight uptrend in retail sales to motor vehicle and parts dealers, with a reported increase of 0.1% to 65.9 billion in June. However, in terms of volume, retail sales were down 0.2%.

Excluding automobile and gasoline, core retail sales decreased by 0.9% in June. The largest declines were in general merchandise, which was down 1.4%, and food and beverage, which was down 0.9%.

Sales of building material and garden equipment and supplies were down by 9% in June.

Retail sales increased in four provinces, with Ontario and Quebec leading following an increase of 1.7% and 1.3%, respectively. On the other hand, retail sales in British Columbia were down by 4.8% with lower sales in motor vehicle and parts reported.