Canadian seasonally-adjusted retail sales increased 0.7 per cent in August to $61.8 billion. Sales rose in 6 of 11 subsectors, but were led by higher sales at food and beverage stores (+2.4 per cent) and motor vehicle and parts dealers (+0.6 per cent). Core retail sales, which strips out gasoline and motor vehicle and parts dealers, rose 0.9 per cent in August. In volume terms, sales were up 1.1 per cent. 

In BC, seasonally-adjusted sales rose 2 per cent in August. Compared to the same month last year, retail sales were up 5.9 per cent in the province. In the Greater Vancouver region, sales rose 3.3 per cent month-over-month and were up 7.4 per cent year-over-year. 

In August, Canadian e-commerce sales rose 11.1 per cent to $3.5 billion, corresponding to 5.2 per cent of retail sales. This percentage remains elevated relative to pre-pandemic levels, but is lower than during core months of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. 

Copyright British Columbia Real Estate Association. Reprinted with permission.