(OTTAWA) Retail sales decreased by 1.1 % to 69.2 billion in May, due to the decline in sales of vehicle and automotive parts, according to Statistics Canada.
However, the agency indicates that its preliminary figures for June indicate an increase of 1.6 % for this month.
In May, three of the nine sub-sectors recorded a drop, sales of car vehicle dealers and spare parts having decreased by 3.6 %, under the effect of a 4.6 % drop in sales of new car dealers.
Basic retail sales, which exclude service stations, combustible merchants and vehicle and car dealerships, remained relatively stable in May.
The only basic retail sub-sector to have recorded a drop is that of food and drinks retailers, down 1.2 %, mainly due to the decrease in sales of beer, wine and spirits, as well as supermarkets and other food retailers.
The retailers of building materials and equipment and garden supplies increased by 1.9 %.
In volume, overall retail sales decreased by 1.4 % in May.