Publications
Click here to download a PDF Version
| Note to Reader: Statistics Canada has changed their categorization of retail sales data; this change has been incorporated into the National Retail Bulletin moving forward. All comparable data points have been updated to reflect the changes. Specifically, the following categories have been reorganized:
The Canadian Consumer Expenditures graph is now indexed to 2004, previously indexed to 2003. |
The latest news from the retail front continues to be impressive in 2010. For the fifth consecutive month, non-automotive sales increased on a month-over-month comparison.
Unadjusted non-automotive retail sales were up by 4.5% in April. This moderate growth on the tails of a very impressive March makes last year’s recession seem to be but a distant memory.
In what is shaping up to be a banner year for this sector, Building Material and Garden Equipment Stores pounded all other major categories once again in April by posting a sales increase of 10.4% (4.9 percentage points higher than any other major category). An early gardening and home-renovation season spurred by an early spring are the latest factors to contribute to the sector’s fortunes.
Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores (up 6.3%), and Electronics and Appliance Stores (up 4.0%) also enjoyed a good April on the coat tails of what was still a hot housing market.
Clothing and Accessories Stores continued to show signs of recovery, posting an increase in sales of 5.5%, while General Merchandise Stores (up 5.0%) continued to show steady growth in a sector that was not as deeply affected by the recession.
Also holding a very positive 2010 trend, sales in the Health and Personal Care Stores category grew by 4.4% in April, while sales in Food and Beverage Stores were up by 3.3%.
Lastly, despite book and music stores being battered by competition from new retail channels, the Sporting Goods, Hobby, Music, and Book Stores sector managed to grow its sales by 1.1% in April.
On the regional front, every region continued to show strong growth, with British Columbia leading the charge (year-to-date retail sales up by 9.2% from 2009), followed by Québec and Atlantic Canada (up 8.6% and 8.5% year-to-date respectively), Ontario (up 6.4% year-to-date), Alberta (up 6.1% year-to-date), and the Prairie Provinces (up 6% year-to-date).
The country’s vibrant retail scene continues to attract international retailers. Apparel and Accessories retailer, Hot Topic announced they are coming into the country, while Crate and Barrel and Whole Foods are expanding their Canadian operations. Lowe’s has announced its expansion into Alberta, and CB2 (a subsidiary of Crate and Barrel) is opening its first Canadian store in Toronto.
April Consumer Confidence was 84.8 (down 7.8 points from March). This might serve as a reminder to retailers that while 2010 results have been outstanding, a still high unemployment rate and uncertainty in the global markets can dampen the consumers’ mood and their willingness to spend.
However, the outlook going forward continues to be positive. As predicted earlier this year, growth will be more moderate in the second half of the year due to higher 2009 comparables.
Release Date of the Next National Retail Bulletin: July 22, 2010
Contact Us:
Toronto Office: 17 Dundonald St., 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON M4Y 1K3 Tel: (416) 921-4181 Fax: (416) 921-4184
Chicago Office: 350 West Hubbard St. Ste. 240, Chicago, Il. 60654 Tel: (312) 673-1254 Fax: (312) 822-9162
For more information, please contact John Archer or Maureen Atkinson (416) 921-4181 or e-mail or info@jcwg.com; Website: www.jcwg.com
Please note:
The J.C. Williams Group National Retail Bulletin compares the latest monthly release of “raw” (i.e., unadjusted for seasonality) retail sales figures to those in the same calendar month of the previous year. Statistics Canada also reports seasonally adjusted sales that are compared to the previous month within the current calendar year to measure change in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Although other sources use seasonally adjusted figures, J.C. Williams Group believes that using raw figures and making comparisons to the previous year’s performance more accurately reflects the seasonality of the retail industry and, therefore, are more useful in analysis.
