OTTAWA — Retail sales in Canada recorded a slight rebound in June, rising by 0.6% month-over-month to reach $74.3 billion, according to data released by Statistics Canada. The growth was primarily driven by strong consumer spending at general merchandise retailers and apparel stores.
The June uptick reflects gains across seven of the nine major retail subsectors monitored by the federal statistical agency.
Key Sector Highlights
- Clothing and Accessories: Retailers selling apparel, footwear, jewelry, accessories, and leather goods posted a solid 3.1% gain in June.
- General Merchandise Stores: Sales at department and general merchandise locations expanded by 2.7%.
- Core Retail Sales: Excluding service stations, fuel vendors, and automotive and spare parts dealers, core retail sales advanced 1.2%.
- Sales Volume: In real volume terms—adjusting for price changes—retail sales increased by 1.5% during the month.
Uncertain Outlook for July
Despite the positive momentum at the end of the second quarter, Statistics Canada cautioned that the momentum may have stalled heading into the second half of the year.
Advance preliminary indicators suggest retail sales could drop by 0.8% in July. However, the agency emphasized that this early figure is based on initial response rates and remains subject to revision once final data is processed.
