Small area retail trade estimates (SARTRE) is a system of developing user-defined tabulations of retail sales and number of locations as low as five-digit North American Industrial Classification (NAICS), for incorporated retailers with forward sortation area (FSA) levels of geographical detail. These data are derived by integrating survey data on chain stores with tax data (for non-chain retailers).

As this database includes all incorporated retailers, it is possible to generate tabulations based on user-defined geographical areas, defined by a collection of six-digit postal codes.

Users should be aware that the data are for incorporated businesses only. Also, the chain location file contains businesses with four or more locations. Businesses with three or fewer locations will be deemed to be a single store, located at the address indicated on its corporate tax (T2) form.