B.C. retailers enjoyed the strongest year-over-year sales growth in May when compared with counterparts in other provinces, according to Statistics Canada.
B.C.’s 7.5% increase in retail sales in May was only bettered by retailers in Yukon Territory, who enjoyed 8.9% sales growth.
“This is particularly exciting because we’ve been a laggard compared to other provinces for the past several months,” said Shelfspace CEO Mark Startup when Business in Vancouver caught up with him July 22.
“Our growth has not been as robust as have other provinces and retailers have been concerned about that.”
Retail sales in all provinces grew in May compared with the same month last year. Saskatchewan, with 1.4% growth, saw the smallest gain.
B.C. also led all provinces in growth when Statistics Canada compared sales increases from April to May.
B.C. merchants enjoyed 1.5% retail sales growth between those two months. That compares with 1.2% growth in New Brunswick. Northwest Territories merchants saw the largest increase with sales improving 5.5% between April and May.
Startup said: “We heard from economists that B.C. was poised for the biggest growth in the country this year. Perhaps this is an indication that those prognostications are actually true.”