Canadian retail sales increased by 2.5 per cent to $69.6 billion in December from the previous month. Compared to the same time last year, retail sales are up by 3.9 per cent. Furthermore, core retail sales, which exclude gasoline and automobile items, also rose by 2.5 per cent month-over-month. In volume terms, adjusted for rising prices, retail sales increased by 2.5 per cent in December.  In the fourth quarter of 2024, retail sales increased by 2.4 per cent, while retail sales rose by 1.3 per cent on an annual basis in 2024.

Retail sales in British Columbia were up 1.6 per cent in December month-over-month and up 2.0 per cent compared to the same time last year. In the CMA of Vancouver, retail sales were up 2.1 per cent both from the prior month and from December 2023.

Canada's sharp jump in retail activity in December largely reflects the impact of the GST/HST tax break during the holiday season. As expected, strength in core retail sales is driven by sales in the food/beverage and clothing industries, both of which were included under the tax holiday.  While tailwinds from the tax break were expected, economists are mostly monitoring whether this momentum will continue following its conclusion last week. Nonetheless, the Bank of Canada remains poised for a 25-point cut next month and hopes to see its effects transmit into stronger Canadian retail spending in the first quarter of 2025.

Copyright British Columbia Real Estate Association. Reprinted with permission.