Seven of eight retail sectors posts higher sales in March
22 May '07
3 min read
In the furniture and home furnishings stores sector, sales at furniture stores rose 2.7%. The two smaller and more volatile trade groups in this sector posted declines in March, with home furnishings stores sales down 2.0%.
Strong gains in the Western provinces: March saw sales gains in all provinces except New Brunswick (-0.2%). Sales in the Western provinces were strong in March. Saskatchewan retailers led the way with sales gains of 5.6%, more than offsetting the 2.7% decline in February. Sales in Alberta were up 3.6% in March, closing the quarter with a 3.4% growth rate. Manitoba retailers posted their fourth increase in the last five months (+2.3%). Retail sales grew for the fourth consecutive month in British Columbia (+1.4%).
Sales in Ontario were up 2.1% in March, the fifth time in the last six months that sales exceeded the national average. In Quebec, sales rose by only 0.6%. The Atlantic provinces saw a moderate retail sales increase of 0.4% while retail activity in the territories as a whole fell by 2.9%, mainly due to sales declines in the Yukon.
Related indicators for April: Estimates from the Labour Force Survey showed little overall change in employment in April. This follows strong employment gains since September 2006. Preliminary sales figures from the automotive industry indicate that the number of new motor vehicles sold climbed 7% in April.
The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 211,900units in April, down from 214,000 units in March, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
marketing@alchempro.com
