Statistics Canada releases retail trade data for April 2016

Following a 0.8% decline in March, retail sales rose 0.9% to $44.3 billion in April. Sales were up in 7 of 11 subsectors, representing 64% of total retail sales. Higher sales at gasoline stations were the main contributor to the gain.

Excluding sales at gasoline stations, retail sales advanced 0.4%. After removing the effects of price changes, particularly higher gasoline prices, retail sales in volume terms were relatively flat in April.

Additional details can be found online via the Statistics Canada website.