Daily Exchange

Statscan - This was the eighth gain in 10 months. Excluding the automotive sector, which sales edged down 0.2%.

In volume terms, retail sales increased 0.6% in October. The volume of retail sales has returned to a level last observed before the sharp declines in the last two months of 2008.

All components of the automotive sector (+3.0%) reported higher sales in October. Sales at new car dealers rose for the sixth consecutive month, gaining 3.6%. It was the first month where the value of sales at new car dealers was higher in 2009 than in 2008. While gasoline stations (+2.5%) registered higher sales for a third consecutive month, their sales level continued to be well below the price-driven peak reached in the summer of 2008. Sales at used and recreational motor vehicles and parts dealers (+2.1%) increased for a sixth consecutive month.

Excluding the automotive sector, retail sales edged down 0.2% in October. Higher sales in five of the seven non-automotive sectors were more than offset by declines in the food and beverage (-1.2%) and pharmacies and personal care (-0.9%) sectors. Supermarket sales were down 1.1%, partially offsetting gains made in September. Sales at beer, wine and liquor stores fell 2.2% after increases in August and September.

The largest increase outside the automotive sector was at clothing and accessories stores, where sales advanced 1.9%, the biggest gain since January 2009. Sales at clothing stores rose 1.6% after recording relatively stable sales since May. Shoe, clothing accessories and jewellery stores (+2.8%) registered a third consecutive month of strong sales increases.

Building and outdoor home supplies stores saw their sales rise 1.2%. This growth was led by sales at home centres and hardware stores (+1.8%). Sales for this store type have been following an upward trend since the beginning of 2009.

Sales at general merchandisers edged up 0.2% in October after a strong increase in September.

Retail sales rose in seven provinces in October. Ontario (+1.3%) was the largest contributor to the increase with a fifth gain in six months.

Sales rose 0.5% in the Atlantic provinces, led by Newfoundland and Labrador (+1.2%) and Nova Scotia (+0.7%).

British Columbia sales increased 1.9%, continuing the upward trend observed since the beginning of 2009.

After strong gains in September, sales were flat in New Brunswick and Quebec, while they were down in Prince Edward Island (-1.7%).

Retail sales
	October 2008	July 2009^r	August 2009^r	September 2009^r	October 2009^p	September to October 2009	October 2008 to October 2009
	Seasonally adjusted
	$ millions					% change
Automotive	12,237	10,739	11,025	11,176	11,513	3.0	-5.9
New car dealers	6,114	5,696	5,844	5,927	6,140	3.6	0.4
Used and recreational motor vehicle and parts dealers	1,657	1,538	1,543	1,571	1,603	2.1	-3.3
Gasoline stations	4,465	3,506	3,639	3,678	3,769	2.5	-15.6
Furniture, home furnishings and electronics stores	2,537	2,395	2,388	2,410	2,419	0.4	-4.6
Furniture stores	824	785	790	799	801	0.2	-2.8
Home furnishings stores	492	475	474	486	496	2.1	0.8
Computer and software stores	116	102	98	103	99	-4.1	-14.5
Home electronics and appliance stores	1,105	1,033	1,027	1,023	1,024	0.1	-7.4
Building and outdoor home supplies stores	2,263	2,231	2,245	2,239	2,265	1.2	0.1
Home centres and hardware stores	1,838	1,831	1,839	1,828	1,861	1.8	1.2
Specialized building materials and garden stores	424	400	406	411	405	-1.5	-4.7
Food and beverage stores	8,144	8,220	8,272	8,357	8,259	-1.2	1.4
Supermarkets	5,885	5,919	5,922	5,997	5,930	-1.1	0.8
Convenience and specialty food stores	843	840	848	838	840	0.3	-0.3
Beer, wine and liquor stores	1,415	1,460	1,503	1,522	1,489	-2.2	5.2
Pharmacies and personal care stores	2,461	2,574	2,568	2,570	2,547	-0.9	3.5
Clothing and accessories stores	1,980	1,931	1,939	1,942	1,979	1.9	-0.1
Clothing stores	1,508	1,486	1,488	1,484	1,508	1.6	0.0
Shoe, clothing accessories and jewellery stores	472	445	451	458	471	2.8	-0.3
General merchandise stores	4,355	4,369	4,346	4,432	4,439	0.2	1.9
Miscellaneous retailers	1,806	1,833	1,832	1,874	1,874	0.0	3.8
Sporting goods, hobby, music and book stores	880	940	936	955	945	-1.0	7.4
Miscellaneous store retailers	926	894	896	919	929	1.1	0.3
Total retail sales	35,781	34,292	34,616	35,000	35,295	0.8	-1.4
Total, excluding new car dealers, used and recreational motor vehicle and parts dealers	28,009	27,059	27,229	27,502	27,551	0.2	-1.6
Provinces and territories
Newfoundland and Labrador	609	611	601	623	630	1.2	3.5
Prince Edward Island	145	141	142	148	146	-1.7	0.4
Nova Scotia	1,015	1,005	1,022	1,038	1,045	0.7	2.9
New Brunswick	840	813	841	855	855	0.0	1.8
Quebec	8,041	7,876	7,933	8,090	8,079	-0.1	0.5
Ontario	12,718	12,254	12,399	12,483	12,650	1.3	-0.5
Manitoba	1,278	1,245	1,249	1,258	1,271	1.0	-0.5
Saskatchewan	1,226	1,166	1,184	1,178	1,194	1.4	-2.6
Alberta	5,081	4,629	4,621	4,626	4,631	0.1	-8.9
British Columbia	4,696	4,422	4,492	4,570	4,659	1.9	-0.8
Yukon	45	43	45	44	45	2.7	1.0
Northwest Territories	59	59	60	61	62	2.0	5.7
Nunavut	27	27	26	26	27	2.0	-0.5

All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and are expressed in current dollars unless otherwise specified.

Total retail sales by volume are measured by deflating values in current dollars of the various trade groups using consumer price indexes. This retail sales in chained dollars series (2002) is a chain Fisher volume index with 2002 as the reference year.