(Ottawa) Retail sales in Canada rose 1.6% last October to $ 57.6 billion, mostly on 2.2% higher sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers.
Statistics Canada explains that the effects of the shortage of semiconductor chips on the supply of inputs for motor vehicles were less marked in October compared to the previous month.
Sales increased in seven of eleven subsectors in October, which accounted for 59.9% of Canadian retail trade.
Retail sales advanced in October in nine provinces; Quebec posted the only drop, with sales falling 0.2% to $ 12.18 billion. They jumped 10.4% in Prince Edward Island and advanced 1.4% in New Brunswick and 0.1% in Nova Scotia.
Nationally, sales at sporting goods, hobby, music and book stores advanced for a second straight month, coinciding with the continued recovery activities of many recreational and school sports leagues in the fall.
Finally, the federal agency reports that on a seasonally adjusted basis, electronic retail sales fell 0.9% in October in Canada.