Annual retail trade, 2022
Released: 2024-02-21
Customers spent $815.5 billion at Canadian retailers in 2022, of which $63.7 billion was e-commerce revenue.
Chart 1
Operating revenues, retail sales by subsector, 2022
More than half of retail operating revenue was generated in four subsectors: motor vehicle and parts dealers (25.7% of retail operating revenue), food and beverage retailers (18.6%), general merchandise retailers (12.2%), and gasoline stations and fuel vendors (11.3%).
There were broad-based increases in retail prices in 2022, with notable hikes in gasoline (+28.5%), food from stores (+9.8%) and passenger vehicles (+7.2%).
Headline inflation rose to 6.8% in 2022, the fastest growth since 1982.
Factors that influenced retail sales varied throughout the sector, with inflation, geopolitical unrest, extreme weather events, supply chain disruptions and labour shortages influencing price increases.
As of the 2022 reference period, the Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS) figures are now based on the updated 2022 North American Industry Classification System. The overarching theme of the update is the digital economy. Changes to the classification system have modified data for the ARTS to include store and non-store retailers. Online-only retailers are now classified in the same industrial groupings as their non-digital counterparts.
Gasoline stations and automotive retail industry in 2022
In 2022, the operating revenue of gasoline stations and fuel vendors reached $91.9 billion. Despite the cost of goods sold amounting to $76.1 billion, they had a gross margin of 17.2%. Additionally, after accounting for total expenses of $8.7 billion, gasoline stations and fuel vendors realized a net profit margin of 7.7%. Operating revenue was fuelled by elevated gas prices for half the year, spurred by robust demand nationwide.
In 2022, sales in the largest subsector—motor vehicle and parts dealers—amounted to $209.4 billion, as new motor vehicle supplies were tight. Sales for new car dealers accounted for over three-quarters of all sales within the subsector in 2022, while sales at used car dealers were $21.3 billion. According to the New Motor Vehicle Sales Survey, in 2022, the value of sales nationally for new vehicles increased by 1.7%, with a 9.5% decrease for passenger cars and a 3.8% increase for trucks. New zero-emission vehicle registrations increased in popularity in 2022, representing an 8.2% share of total new motor vehicle registrations, up from 5.2% in 2021.
The profit margin for motor vehicle and parts dealers was 4.7% in 2022.
Food price inflation encourages shopping at general merchandise retailers
General merchandise retailers, including warehouse clubs, supercentres and other general merchandise retailers, generated $99.3 billion in operating revenue in 2022. This subsector's cost of goods sold was $75.6 billion and total expenses were $17.7 billion, resulting in a profit margin of 6.1% in 2022.
Sales in the second-largest subsector—food and beverage retailers—totalled $152.0 billion in 2022.
The profit margin at food and beverage retailers was 7.4% in 2022.
Food price increases accelerated in 2022, and the share of retail food sales at food and beverage retailers began to decline, falling to around 70% in late 2022. At the same time, the share of food sales at general merchandise retailers rose, from 21.6% in early 2021 to 25.9% in late 2022.
Operating revenue in the provinces
In 2022, the four largest provinces—Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta—accounted for the largest share of operating revenue, representing a combined $705.6 billion (86.5%) of the national total.
The cost of goods sold by retailers stood at $591.5 billion in 2022, representing 72.5% of total operating revenue.
Total operating expenses, including labour remuneration, stood at $170.8 billion in 2022.
Did you know we have a mobile app?
Get timely access to data right at your fingertips by downloading the StatsCAN app, available for free on the App Store and on Google Play.
Note to readers
The operating profit is obtained by subtracting total operating expenses and the cost of goods sold from total operating revenues. The ratio is expressed as a percentage of total operating revenues. The gross margin is the difference between total operating revenue and the cost of goods sold.
Trucks include minivans, sport utility vehicles, light and heavy-duty trucks, vans, and buses. Zero-emission vehicles are battery electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that have the potential to produce no tailpipe emissions.
Data are collected for the 12-month fiscal period that ends on April 1, 2022, or between that date and March 31, 2023.
Beginning with this release, data are based on the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Two new dissemination tables have been created for the Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS) to reflect the new version of the NAICS. The tables do not include historical data (before 2022), and direct comparisons can no longer be made between 2022 and previous years. Therefore, users should exercise caution when comparing 2022 aggregate data with historical aggregate datasets.
Tables 20-10-0064 and 20-10-0065 have been archived. Estimates based on NAICS 2022 are now available in the new table 20-10-0084 starting in 2022.
Tables 20-10-0066 and 20-10-0068 have also been archived. Estimates based on NAICS 2022 are now available in the new table 20-10-0083 starting in 2022.
To help with historical comparability, the data for monthly retail trade sales by province and territory (going back to 2017) (table 20-10-0056-01) have been adjusted using the 2022 NAICS.
Changes to the classification system have resulted in the termination of the Annual Non-store Retail Survey. Now, data for the ARTS include store and non-store retailers. The overarching theme of the update is the digital economy. Online-only retailers are now classified in the same industrial groupings as their non-digital counterparts. For more information on the classification changes, consult the updated Definitions, data sources and methods webpage.
The changes affect the non-store retailers NAICS category (454). Internet retail, direct selling and mail-order retail are not separately classified from traditional in-store (also known as "brick and mortar") retail. Units that engage in retailing by any of these methods are classified based on the type of goods sold. Meanwhile, vending machine operators are grouped with convenience retailers, and fuel dealers are classified under gasoline stations and fuel vendors.
These and other data related to business and consumer services can be found at the Business and consumer services and culture statistics portal.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
- Date modified: