In Volume Terms, Wholesale Sales Rose 1.9 Per Cent Month-over-month in Canada

Canadian wholesalers saw sales jump nine per cent in June from a year earlier, with all seven subsectors reporting gains, Statistics Canada said Friday. which exclude petroleum, petroleum products and other hydrocarbons, as well as oilseed and grain sectors — topped $92.5 billion in June, up 2.8 per cent from May. That marked the fourth increase in five months.

In volume terms, wholesale sales rose 1.9 per cent month-over-month. The machinery, equipment and supplies subsector led the gains, rising 4.8 per cent from May to $20.1 billion — its first increase after two straight monthly declines. Statistics Canada attributed the uptick mainly to farm, lawn and garden machinery and equipment sales, which surged 25.9 per cent.

Agricultural supplies and recyclable material industry groups also posted strong gains, up 8.3 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively, driving the miscellaneous subsector up 4.7 per cent to $12.5 billion. The food, beverage and tobacco subsector increased 2.8 per cent to top $16.4 billion, with food sales alone rising 3.1 per cent and accounting for nearly all of the monthly gain. The agency noted the food sales increase was tied to higher volumes, suggesting more product was sold rather than just higher prices.

The June report follows the FIFA World Cup, which ran from June through July and drove up demand for tourism and entertainment, including at bars and restaurants across Canada. June closed out the second quarter (April through June), with wholesale sales up 4.2 per cent from the first quarter to top $272.8 billion on a comparable basis. By volume, second-quarter wholesale sales rose 2.8 per cent from the previous quarter, while their value increased 7.9 per cent year-over-year.