Wholesale sales in Canada rose by 0.3% in February 2025, reaching $85.7 billion. The increase came from two of the seven subsectors, accounting for 40.3% of total wholesale sales. The machinery, equipment, and supplies subsector led the growth, with a 7.1% rise.
The machinery, equipment, and supplies subsector saw sales grow to $19.0 billion, driven by the computer and communications equipment group, which rose by 11.2%. The construction, forestry, mining, and industrial machinery group also showed strong performance, increasing by 6.8%.
However, the overall increase was limited by a 3.1% decline in the motor vehicle and parts subsector, which dropped to $14.3 billion. This decline contrasts with the positive performance in machinery-related subsectors.
Ontario saw a 1.5% increase in wholesale sales, reaching $44.6 billion. This was the second consecutive month of growth, led by a 9.5% rise in machinery and equipment supplies. Ontario’s growth helped offset declines in other provinces.
British Columbia, on the other hand, experienced a 3.9% decline in wholesale sales, falling to $8.2 billion. The drop was mainly driven by a 9.8% decline in the building materials subsector. Alberta saw a 1.2% increase in sales, driven by machinery and equipment supplies.
Wholesale inventories increased by 2.2% in February, reaching $130.6 billion. This marked the first time since September 2022 that inventories rose in all subsectors. The machinery, equipment, and supplies subsector saw the largest inventory increase, rising by 4.2%.
The inventory-to-sales ratio also rose slightly from 1.50 in January to 1.53 in February, indicating the number of months it would take to deplete inventories if sales remained at their current levels.
Compared to February 2024, wholesale sales in February 2025 were 3.3% higher, reflecting an overall improvement in the sector, driven mainly by growth in machinery and equipment supplies.