Canadian wholesale sales edged down 0.1 per cent to $55.2 billion in September, according to Statistics Canada Thursday. Declines in the motor vehicle and parts and the building material and supplies subsectors were partially offset by higher sales in the machinery, equipment and supplies and the food, beverage and tobacco subsectors.
Excluding the motor vehicle and parts subsector, wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent.
In volume terms, wholesale sales decreased 0.4 per cent in September.
Inventories decreased 0.4 per cent to $73.0 billion in September, the first decline in 11 months. Decreases were reported in four of seven subsectors, representing 64 per cent of wholesale inventories.
Inventories in the building material and supplies subsector declined 1.1 per cent, a sixth consecutive decrease. The last time this subsector posted as many consecutive declines was in 2009, when inventories decreased for 10 consecutive months.
