Retail sales in Canada rose 0.3 per cent to $70.1 billion in April due to higher sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers, while other sectors showed mixed results.
In volume terms, retail sales were up 0.5 per cent, suggesting Canadians bought more goods overall.
The biggest contributor to April’s growth was the auto sector. Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers increased 1.9 per cent, led by new car dealers (+2.9%) and used car dealers (+2.1%). However, sales at automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers dropped 4.7 per cent.
Gasoline stations saw a 2.7 per cent drop in sales. Despite this, fuel volume sales rose slightly by 0.4 per cent, pointing to lower pump prices.
Core retail sales rose just 0.1 per cent, which marks the third straight month of small gains.
Sales were higher at sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, and book stores (+1.0%), as well as furniture and electronics retailers (+0.8%). Grocery stores also saw growth, with food and beverage sales up 0.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, clothing and accessory stores reported a 2.2 per cent decline, the largest drop among core categories.
Five provinces saw retail sales increase in April. British Columbia led the way with a 1.7 per cent gain, mainly due to strong auto sales. In Vancouver, sales rose 2.1 per cent.
Ontario posted a 0.2 per cent increase, with Toronto seeing a stronger rise of 2.7 per cent. The biggest drop was in New Brunswick, where retail sales fell 3.1 per cent, again due to lower vehicle sales.
Retail e-commerce sales climbed 3.6 per cent to $4.4 billion in April. Online purchases made up 6.2 per cent of total retail trade, up slightly from 6.0 per cent in March.