Following three consecutive monthly gains, wholesale sales in Canada decreased 0.3 per cent to $52.9 billion in July, said Statistics Canada Friday. Declines in five subsectors, which together represented 81 per cent of wholesale sales, more than offset an increase in the motor vehicle and parts subsector. Excluding this subsector, wholesale sales declined 1 per cent.
In volume terms, wholesale sales were down 0.6 per cent.
Wholesale Trade, Canada
For the first time in 2014, the building material and supplies subsector registered a decrease, falling 0.3 per cent to $7.6 billion. The decline in the lumber, millwork, hardware, and other building supplies industry, down 2.2 per cent, its first in eight months, more than offset the gains recorded elsewhere in the subsector.
The motor vehicle and parts subsector rose 3.1 per cent to $9.4 billion in July, on the strength of higher sales in the motor vehicle industry, up 4.4 per cent. Exports and manufacturing sales of motor vehicles also saw strong growth in July.