Wholesale trade in B.C. rose for a third consecutive month in December, rising 1.9% from November trade levels, according to Statistics Canada data released Wednesday.
Increased sales of building materials and wholesale agricultural supplies, chemicals, recycled materials and paper contributed to the increase to $4.17 billion in December from $4.09 billion in November.
Year-over-year, B.C.'s wholesale trade has remained relatively flat, falling 0.6%, whereas most other provinces have seen either significant increases or declines. Provinces reporting the largest sales declines include Saskatchewan (-14.5%), Alberta (-12.8%), Prince Edward Island (-7.7%) and Quebec (-1.4%).
Provinces reporting sales increases include Newfoundland (10.9%), Nova Scotia (5.2%), Ontario (4.2%), Manitoba (4.2%) and New Brunswick (4.1%).
Overall, wholesale sales nationally rose 0.7% to $42.8 billion, the sixth increase in seven months due to increases in every sector except personal and household goods, which reported a 1% decline in December.