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Statistics Canada reports sales are down across the board for the country’s retail trade, with seven of 11 subsectors displaying decreases in August. Overall, Canadian retail sales fell 0.1 per cent this month to $50.8 billion, a drop driven in part by lower sales at gas stations, clothing and accessories stores, and building material and garden supplies dealers.
The jewellery trade is also part of this trend. Jewellery, luggage, and leather goods stores across Canada saw a cumulative sales decline of 1.8 per cent between July and August. However, the jewellery industry’s year-over-year performance remains fairly strong, with sales increasing by 4.5 per cent compared to 2017.
Provinces and territories experiencing retail sales declines in August include Québec, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The largest decrease in dollar terms was in Québec, with Saskatchewan a close second. Saskatchewan’s sales, however, fell by a greater percentage (2.7 per cent compared to Québec’s 0.7).
Retail sales growth was observed across the Atlantic provinces as well as in Ontario, with the following results:
- a 0.5 per cent increase in Nova Scotia;
- a 0.4 per cent increase in Newfoundland and Labrador;
- a 1.1 per cent increase in Prince Edward Island;
- a 0.6 per cent increase in New Brunswick; and
- a 0.3 per cent increase in Ontario.
Retail e-commerce sales are continuing their strong upward trend, rising 13.9 per cent year-over-year to reach a total of $1.4 billion. These sales currently comprise 2.6 per cent of Canada’s total retail trade.
