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Wholesale trade
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Wholesale sales increased 0.9% to $49.2 billion in October, with the growth concentrated in the western provinces.
In volume terms, wholesale sales increased 0.5% in October.
Wholesale sales increase in October
Subsectors: Widespread increases in wholesale sales
In October, six out of seven subsectors, representing 85% of wholesale trade, reported increases.
The largest increase in dollar terms came in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector, where sales rose 1.0% to $10.5 billion in October, continuing their upward trend. Three out of four industries that compose this subsector reported increases.
Sales in the food, beverage and tobacco products subsector advanced 1.1% during the month. This gain was based solely on the strength of the food products industry, which rose 1.4% in October. This was the industry's ninth monthly increase since January 2011.
Note to readers
All the data in this release are seasonally adjusted and in current dollars, unless otherwise noted.
Wholesale sales expressed in volume are calculated by deflating current dollar values using import and industry product price indexes. Since many of the goods sold by wholesalers are imported, fluctuations in the value of the Canadian dollar can have an important influence on the prices of goods bought and sold by wholesalers.
The wholesale sales series in chained (2002) dollars is a chained Fisher volume index with 2002 as the reference year.
The miscellaneous subsector increased 1.4%, mainly as a result of higher sales in the agricultural supplies and the chemical (except agricultural) and allied products industries.
The only decrease in sales in October occurred in the personal and household goods subsector (-0.4%). Declines were observed in three of the component industries, including the pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies (-1.3%) and the textile, clothing and footwear (-3.7%) industries.
Provinces: Sales increase concentrated in the West
Wholesale sales were up in seven provinces in October, with all four western provinces registering sales increases.
In dollar terms, wholesalers in Alberta and Saskatchewan contributed the most to the national growth, followed by British Columbia and Manitoba.
Sales in Alberta increased 3.9%, rising for a sixth consecutive month. Higher sales were widespread among the subsectors.
In Saskatchewan, sales grew by 8.4% in October, a fourth increase in six months. Advances were observed across a number of subsectors.
Ontario, where sales were down 0.2%, reported the largest decrease in dollar terms.
Wholesalers in Quebec reported a 0.4% decline in October. Sales have been relatively flat since May 2011. Weaker sales in the personal and household goods subsector contributed to the decline in October.
Inventories continue to rise
Inventories edged up 0.2% to $57.8 billion in October, posting their 10th consecutive monthly increase.
Inventories rose in 13 of the 25 wholesale industries. Wholesalers in the motor vehicle industry (+3.2%) and the construction, forestry, mining and industrial machinery, equipment and supplies industry (+1.1%) reported the largest gains in dollar terms.
The inventory-to-sales ratio declined from 1.18 in September to 1.17 in October.
The inventory-to-sales ratio is a measure of the time in months required to exhaust inventories if sales were to remain at their current level.
Inventories edge up in October
Available on CANSIM: tables 081-0011 to 081-0013.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2401.
The October 2011 issue of Wholesale Trade (63-008-X, free) will soon be available.
Wholesale trade data for November will be released on January 20, 2012.
To obtain data, or for more information, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-877-421-3067; 613-951-3549; wholesaleinfo@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Steve Chadder (613-951-0303; steve.chadder@statcan.gc.ca), Distributive Trades Division.
Table 1
| October 2010 | September 2011r | October 2011p | September to October 2011 | October 2010 to October 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $ millions | % change | ||||
| Total, wholesale sales | 45,487 | 48,798 | 49,241 | 0.9 | 8.3 |
| Total, excluding motor vehicle and parts wholesalers | 37,621 | 40,778 | 41,129 | 0.9 | 9.3 |
| Farm product | 550 | 598 | 610 | 2.0 | 10.8 |
| Food, beverage and tobacco | 8,716 | 9,163 | 9,263 | 1.1 | 6.3 |
| Food | 7,759 | 8,169 | 8,285 | 1.4 | 6.8 |
| Beverage | 447 | 469 | 467 | -0.3 | 4.6 |
| Cigarette and tobacco product | 510 | 525 | 510 | -2.8 | 0.0 |
| Personal and household goods | 6,943 | 7,151 | 7,124 | -0.4 | 2.6 |
| Textile, clothing and footwear | 902 | 953 | 918 | -3.7 | 1.8 |
| Home entertainment equipment and household appliance | 761 | 782 | 834 | 6.6 | 9.5 |
| Home furnishings | 461 | 494 | 505 | 2.2 | 9.5 |
| Personal goods | 773 | 755 | 732 | -3.0 | -5.2 |
| Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies | 3,369 | 3,521 | 3,476 | -1.3 | 3.2 |
| Toiletries, cosmetics and sundries | 677 | 646 | 660 | 2.2 | -2.5 |
| Motor vehicle and parts | 7,866 | 8,020 | 8,113 | 1.2 | 3.1 |
| Motor vehicle | 6,047 | 6,177 | 6,212 | 0.6 | 2.7 |
| New motor vehicle parts and accessories | 1,770 | 1,797 | 1,858 | 3.4 | 5.0 |
| Used motor vehicle parts and accessories | 49 | 46 | 43 | -5.7 | -11.9 |
| Building material and supplies | 6,229 | 6,617 | 6,679 | 0.9 | 7.2 |
| Electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning equipment and supplies | 1,975 | 2,125 | 2,176 | 2.4 | 10.2 |
| Metal service centres | 1,306 | 1,498 | 1,525 | 1.8 | 16.8 |
| Lumber, millwork, hardware and other building supplies | 2,948 | 2,994 | 2,978 | -0.5 | 1.0 |
| Machinery, equipment and supplies | 9,315 | 10,380 | 10,485 | 1.0 | 12.6 |
| Farm, lawn and garden machinery and equipment | 1,003 | 1,243 | 1,236 | -0.5 | 23.2 |
| Construction, forestry, mining, and industrial machinery, equipment and supplies | 3,055 | 3,575 | 3,632 | 1.6 | 18.9 |
| Computer and communications equipment and supplies | 2,953 | 3,116 | 3,170 | 1.7 | 7.3 |
| Other machinery, equipment and supplies | 2,304 | 2,446 | 2,447 | 0.1 | 6.2 |
| Miscellaneous | 5,867 | 6,870 | 6,968 | 1.4 | 18.8 |
| Recyclable material | 698 | 873 | 896 | 2.6 | 28.4 |
| Paper, paper product and disposable plastic product | 764 | 819 | 819 | -0.1 | 7.2 |
| Agricultural supplies | 1,465 | 1,762 | 1,841 | 4.5 | 25.6 |
| Chemical (except agricultural) and allied product | 1,054 | 1,249 | 1,280 | 2.4 | 21.4 |
| Other miscellaneous | 1,886 | 2,166 | 2,133 | -1.5 | 13.1 |
Table 2
| October 2010 | September 2011r | October 2011p | September to October 2011 | October 2010 to October 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $ millions | % change | ||||
| Canada | 45,487 | 48,798 | 49,241 | 0.9 | 8.3 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 276 | 329 | 324 | -1.7 | 17.3 |
| Prince Edward Island | 42 | 48 | 50 | 4.7 | 20.1 |
| Nova Scotia | 649 | 667 | 675 | 1.2 | 4.0 |
| New Brunswick | 485 | 480 | 484 | 0.8 | -0.4 |
| Quebec | 8,566 | 9,289 | 9,254 | -0.4 | 8.0 |
| Ontario | 23,132 | 24,324 | 24,267 | -0.2 | 4.9 |
| Manitoba | 1,206 | 1,286 | 1,344 | 4.5 | 11.5 |
| Saskatchewan | 1,504 | 1,855 | 2,011 | 8.4 | 33.7 |
| Alberta | 5,462 | 6,157 | 6,398 | 3.9 | 17.1 |
| British Columbia | 4,093 | 4,300 | 4,368 | 1.6 | 6.7 |
| Yukon | 11 | 11 | 12 | 4.5 | 8.6 |
| Northwest Territories | 54 | 47 | 48 | 2.5 | -11.3 |
| Nunavut | 5 | 5 | 6 | 17.4 | 16.1 |
Table 3
| October 2010 | September 2011r | October 2011p | September to October 2011 | October 2010 to October 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $ millions | % change | ||||
| Total, wholesale inventories | 52,866 | 57,651 | 57,773 | 0.2 | 9.3 |
| Farm product | 156 | 176 | 189 | 7.4 | 20.8 |
| Food | 4,206 | 4,587 | 4,638 | 1.1 | 10.3 |
| Beverage | 233 | 277 | 288 | 4.1 | 23.5 |
| Cigarette and tobacco product | 229 | 222 | 224 | 0.8 | -2.2 |
| Textile, clothing and footwear | 1,684 | 1,920 | 1,886 | -1.7 | 12.0 |
| Home entertainment equipment and household appliance | 841 | 771 | 756 | -2.0 | -10.1 |
| Home furnishings | 993 | 1,035 | 1,062 | 2.5 | 6.9 |
| Personal goods | 1,317 | 1,357 | 1,401 | 3.2 | 6.4 |
| Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies | 4,158 | 4,351 | 4,291 | -1.4 | 3.2 |
| Toiletries, cosmetics and sundries | 601 | 722 | 697 | -3.5 | 16.0 |
| Motor vehicle | 3,335 | 3,842 | 3,965 | 3.2 | 18.9 |
| New motor vehicle parts and accessories | 3,100 | 3,402 | 3,409 | 0.2 | 10.0 |
| Used motor vehicle parts and accessories | 70 | 86 | 88 | 2.1 | 25.7 |
| Electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning equipment and supplies | 2,844 | 3,170 | 3,134 | -1.1 | 10.2 |
| Metal service centres | 2,666 | 3,024 | 3,006 | -0.6 | 12.8 |
| Lumber, millwork, hardware and other building supplies | 4,540 | 4,618 | 4,552 | -1.4 | 0.3 |
| Farm, lawn and garden machinery and equipment | 3,277 | 3,276 | 3,268 | -0.3 | -0.3 |
| Construction, forestry, mining, and industrial machinery, equipment and supplies | 7,200 | 8,179 | 8,267 | 1.1 | 14.8 |
| Computer and communications equipment and supplies | 1,613 | 1,807 | 1,806 | 0.0 | 12.0 |
| Other machinery, equipment and supplies | 3,081 | 3,328 | 3,288 | -1.2 | 6.7 |
| Recyclable material | 480 | 637 | 627 | -1.7 | 30.5 |
| Paper, paper product and disposable plastic product | 645 | 758 | 764 | 0.8 | 18.5 |
| Agricultural supplies | 2,538 | 2,656 | 2,737 | 3.0 | 7.8 |
| Chemical (except agricultural) and allied product | 822 | 948 | 974 | 2.7 | 18.4 |
| Other miscellaneous | 2,237 | 2,501 | 2,457 | -1.8 | 9.9 |
