Retail trade, September 2018

Released: 2018-11-23

Retail sales edged up 0.2% to $50.9 billion in September following a relatively flat August. The gain was led by food and beverage stores and, to a lesser extent, general merchandise stores and motor vehicle and parts dealers. Sales were down at gasoline stations and building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers. Excluding gasoline stations, retail sales rose 0.4%.

Sales were up in 6 of 11 subsectors, representing 75% of retail trade.

After removing the effects of price changes, retail sales in volume terms increased 0.5%.

Retail sales were up 0.9% in the third quarter following a 1.1% gain in the second quarter. In volume terms, retail sales increased 0.4% in the third quarter.

Chart 1 
Retail sales edge up in September

Higher sales at food and beverage stores

Sales at food and beverage stores (+0.9%) rose for the third time in four months. Higher sales at supermarkets and other grocery stores (+1.7%) more than offset a decline at beer, wine, and liquor stores (-1.7%), which posted their first decline after six consecutive monthly increases.

Sales increased at general merchandise stores (+1.2%) and motor vehicle and parts dealers (+0.5%) in September. Higher sales were reported at both new (+0.6%) and used (+2.9%) car dealers.

Sales at gasoline stations (-1.1%) were down for the third time in four months, partly reflecting lower prices. After removing the effects of price changes, sales at gasoline stations declined 0.3%.

Store types traditionally associated with housing purchases and home renovation declined in September. Sales at building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (-1.9%) and furniture and home furnishings stores (-0.7%) continued their downward trend in September, declining for the third time in four months.

Prairie provinces lead retail sales increase in September

Sales were up in all three Prairie provinces. Retail sales in Alberta increased 0.5% on the strength of higher sales at food and beverage stores.

Following a 3.5% decline in August, retail sales in Saskatchewan rose 1.7%, marking their third gain in four months. Gains were widespread among most store types.

Retail sales in Manitoba continued their upward trend, rising 1.5%. The increase in September was led by higher sales at gasoline stations.

Sales in Ontario (+0.1%) increased for the fifth consecutive month in September, due to stronger sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers. Sales in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Toronto (+0.7%) also increased for the fifth month in a row.

Sales were down in Newfoundland and Labrador (-1.5%) and Nova Scotia (-0.6%) for the first time in three months, mainly due to lower sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers.

E-commerce sales by Canadian retailers

The figures in this section are based on unadjusted estimates (not seasonally adjusted).

On an unadjusted basis, retail e-commerce sales totalled $1.4 billion, representing 2.8% of total retail trade. On a year-over-year basis, retail e-commerce rose 16.9%, while total unadjusted retail sales increased 1.8%.

British Columbia wildfires and Ottawa–Gatineau tornadoes

For the reference month of September 2018, the Monthly Retail Trade Survey added nine supplementary questions to assess the impact on retail trade of the British Columbia wildfires from July to September, as well as the Ottawa–Gatineau tornadoes in September.

For the period of July to September, 4,682 retailers across Canada were asked to evaluate the impact of the wildfires on their business operations. About 4% of these retailers indicated that their business activities had been affected by the wildfires at some point from July to September.

Responses that indicated an impact caused by the wildfires were recorded in each of the 11 subsectors of the Monthly Retail Trade Survey and touched all provinces, though mainly in British Columbia. A majority of impacted businesses reported lower sales than a typical July to September period, largely due to smoke, decreased tourism or having to shut down as a result of the fires.

Businesses in the Ottawa–Gatineau CMA were asked to evaluate the impact of the September tornadoes on their operations. Roughly 30% of the 259 respondents reported that their business activities had been affected by the tornadoes and subsequent power outages. The most common impact was a shut down in operations ranging from one to three days.

Overall, while some businesses faced hardship from these two extreme events, the impact of the wildfires and the tornadoes on total retail sales in Canada was likely small.

Summary tables of unadjusted data by industry and by province and territory are now available.

For information on related indicators, refer to Latest statistics.

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 Sandra Andric (613-951-0027; sandra.andric@canada.ca), Retail and Service Industries Division.