Wholesale sales rise 0.4 per cent in April, Statistics Canada reports

OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales rose 0.4 per cent in April to $71.5 billion as sales of building materials and supplies rose to a new record.

The agency says sales of building material and supplies were up 8.7 per cent at $13.1 billion, boosted by demand for housing and home renovations.

Offsetting the growth was a drop in sales for the auto industry which continued to be hampered by an ongoing shortage of microchips.

Sales of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and accessories fell 4.4 per cent to $10.1 billion.

The miscellaneous subsector fell 3.4 per cent to $9.3 billion.

In volume terms, wholesale sales fell 0.2 per cent in April.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021.