Retail sales decreased around one per cent in May, says StatCan

According to the latest Statistics Canada data, retail sales decreased by 1.1 per cent to $69.2 billion in May. Motor vehicles and car parts saw the sharpest decline.

Auto sector sales decreases were led by new car dealerships, which fell 4.6 per cent. Gas station sales also fell by 1.4 per cent over the month.

Core retail sales remained relatively stable, with the exception of food and beverage retailers. Beer, wine and liquor retailers saw a 1.9 per cent drop, marking the third consecutive month of negative sales rates in that subsector.

StatsCan says survey respondents highlighted the impacts of trade tensions between Canada and the United States. Thirty-two per cent of retail businesses say they’ve been impacted by the trade war. Businesses say the most common impacts are price increases, change in demand for product and increased expenses.

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