The Daily
|
 In the news  Indicators  Releases by subject
 Special interest  Release schedule  Information

Retail trade, May 2016

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

Released: 2016-07-22

Retail sales — Canada

$44.3 billion

May 2016

0.2% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — N.L.

$0.8 billion

May 2016

1.0% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — P.E.I.

$0.2 billion

May 2016

0.2% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — N.S.

$1.2 billion

May 2016

0.4% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — N.B.

$1.0 billion

May 2016

-1.2% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — Que.

$9.4 billion

May 2016

1.0% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — Ont.

$16.0 billion

May 2016

0.0% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — Man.

$1.6 billion

May 2016

0.5% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — Sask.

$1.6 billion

May 2016

-0.3% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — Alta.

$6.2 billion

May 2016

-0.4% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales — B.C.

$6.2 billion

May 2016

0.1% 

(monthly change)

Retail sales rose 0.2% to $44.3 billion in May. Higher sales at food and beverage stores and gasoline stations more than offset lower sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers.

Sales were up in 6 of 11 subsectors, representing 51% of retail trade.

After removing the effects of price changes, retail sales in volume terms edged up 0.1% in May.

Chart 1  Chart 1: Retail sales up in May
Retail sales up in May

Higher sales at food and beverage stores

Receipts at food and beverage stores were up 2.1%, the fourth increase in five months. Following declines in March and April, sales at beer, wine and liquor stores advanced 6.0% in May. Supermarkets and other grocery stores posted a 1.6% increase. Sales were down at specialty food stores (-1.0%) for the third consecutive month. Sales at convenience stores (-0.8%) decreased for the first time in four months.

Following a 6.4% advance in April, sales at gasoline stations rose 2.3% in May, in part due to higher gasoline prices.

Clothing and clothing accessories stores reported a 2.8% increase in May, more than offsetting the decline in April. Higher sales were posted at clothing stores (+3.1%) and shoe stores (+3.2%), while sales at jewellery, luggage and leather goods stores edged down 0.1%.

Sales were down for all store types in the motor vehicle and parts dealers subsector (-2.0%) in May. The decline in May was largely due to weaker sales at new car dealers (-2.4%).

Following a 5.9% gain in April, sales at furniture and home furnishings stores declined 3.5% in May, as furniture stores (-5.0%) and home furnishings stores (-0.7%) posted lower sales.

General merchandise stores (-0.5%) posted lower sales for the first time in five months.

Sales up in seven provinces

Quebec (+1.0%) reported the largest increase in dollar terms, led by stronger sales at food and beverage stores.

Sales rose for the first time in four months in Manitoba (+0.5%), as higher sales were reported at supermarkets and other grocery stores.

Newfoundland and Labrador (+1.0%) reported the fourth sales gain in five months.

Sales in British Columbia edged up 0.1% on the strength of higher sales at gasoline stations and beer, wine and liquor stores.

Following increases in April, sales in Alberta were down 0.4%. The decrease was mainly attributable to lower sales at new car dealers, the main retail store type in Alberta affected by the Fort McMurray wildfire and evacuation.

New Brunswick reported a 1.2% decline in retail sales, largely stemming from lower sales at new car dealers.

Fort McMurray wildfire and evacuation

When collecting data for the May reference month, the Monthly Retail Trade Survey added three supplementary questions to a provincial sample of about 770 Alberta businesses to assess the impact of the Fort McMurray wildfire, which started in early May 2016.

Overall, 6.8% of the sample, or 52 retailers, reported that their business activities in May had been affected by the wildfire and evacuation in the Fort McMurray area. Of these 52 retailers, approximately 38% were able to provide an estimate of the impact on sales. Most retailers reported a decline in their sales, while a few others recorded increases. The remaining 62% reported an impact on their sales, but could not quantify the effects of the wildfire.

Overall, the impact of the wildfire and evacuation on May retail sales in Alberta was small, as retail sales in Fort McMurray represent approximately 2.8% of total retail sales in the province.

Summary tables of unadjusted data by industry and by province and territory are now available from the Summary tables module of our website.

For information on related indicators, refer to the Latest statistics page on our website.



  Note to readers

All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars, unless otherwise noted. For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.

Total retail sales expressed in volume are calculated by deflating current dollar values using consumer price indexes. The retail sales series in chained (2007) dollars is a chained Fisher volume index with 2007 as the reference year. For more information, see Calculation of Volume of Retail Trade Sales.

For information on trend-cycle data, see the StatCan Blog and Trend-cycle estimates – Frequently asked questions.

Real-time CANSIM tables

Real-time CANSIM tables 080-8020 and 080-8024 will be updated on July 29. For more information, consult the document, Real-time CANSIM tables.

Next release

Data on retail trade for June will be released on August 19.

Contact information

For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca).

For analytical information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Jason Aston (613-951-0746; jason.aston@canada.ca), Retail and Service Industries Division.

Report a problem on this page

Is something not working? Is there information outdated? Can't find what you're looking for?

Please contact us and let us know how we can help you.

Privacy notice

Date modified: