Canadian November Retail Sales Report

Retail sales edged up 0.2% to $39.4 billion in November, a fifth consecutive monthly sales gain. Higher sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers as well as electronics and appliance stores more than offset declines at most store types.

In volume terms, retail sales rose 0.8%.

Gains were reported in 4 of 11 subsectors, representing 32% of retail trade.

Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers rose 1.8% in November. New car dealers (+1.6%) led the increase, rising for a sixth straight month. Gains were also reported in the “other motor vehicle dealers” industry (+3.9%) and used car dealers (+3.9%). Automotive parts, accessories and tire stores declined 0.6%, partially offsetting the gain in October.

Sales advanced at electronics and appliance stores for the third time in four months, rising 8.9%. Sales in this subsector can be affected by the timing of new product releases. Despite recent gains, sales in this industry for the first 11 months of 2012 were 5.1% lower than the same period in 2011.

Following three consecutive monthly declines, furniture and home furnishings stores reported a 3.9% sales gain in November. This increase came from higher sales at furniture stores (+3.5%) and home furnishings stores (+4.6%).

Gasoline station sales declined 2.3% in November, mainly reflecting lower prices at the pump.

Sales at building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (-1.4%) decreased for the fourth month in a row.

Food and beverage store sales decreased 0.3% in November, after advancing for three straight months. This decline reflected lower sales at supermarkets and other grocery stores (-0.4%) and at convenience stores (-3.5%). Gains were reported at beer, wine and liquor stores (+0.5%) and speciality food stores (+1.1%).

General merchandise store sales declined 0.6%. Receipts at department stores fell 0.7%, a third consecutive monthly decline. Sales at “other general merchandise stores” decreased 0.5%.

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This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.

Dean Popplewell

Dean Popplewell

Vice-President of Market Analysis at MarketPulse
Dean Popplewell has nearly two decades of experience trading currencies and fixed income instruments. He has a deep understanding of market fundamentals and the impact of global events on capital markets. He is respected among professional traders for his skilled analysis and career history as global head of trading for firms such as Scotia Capital and BMO Nesbitt Burns. Since joining OANDA in 2006, Dean has played an instrumental role in driving awareness of the forex market as an emerging asset class for retail investors, as well as providing expert counsel to a number of internal teams on how to best serve clients and industry stakeholders.
Dean Popplewell