Canada retail sales decreased -1.4% mom to CAD 65.3B in March, slightly worse than expectation of -1.3% mom. Sales decreased in 5 of the 9 subsectors, representing 55.5% of retail trade, led by decreases at motor vehicle and parts dealers (-4.4%) and gasoline stations and fuel vendors (-3.9%).
Core retail sales—which exclude gasoline stations and fuel vendors and motor vehicle and parts dealers—increased 0.3% mom.
In volume terms, retail sales decreased -1.0% mom.
Advance estimate suggests that sales increased 0.2% mom in April.