Statistics Canada says wholesale sales down 0.5 per cent in April to $79.8 billion

OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales fell 0.5 per cent in April to $79.8 billion as the miscellaneous goods and the building materials and supplies subsectors posted the largest declines.

The agency says sales fell in five of seven subsectors comprising more than three-quarters of total wholesale activity in Canada.

The miscellaneous subsector fell 3.4 per cent to $11.5 billion as the agricultural supplies industry dropped 13.6 per cent to $3.3 billion driven by lower imports of fertilizer from Russia.

The building material and supplies subsector dropped 1.4 per cent to $14.0 billion in April as the lumber, millwork, hardware and other building supplies group fell 3.8 per cent to $7.5 billion.

Sales in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector rose 1.8 per cent in April to $16.5 billion.

Overall sales in constant dollars fell 0.6 per cent in April.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2022.