Wholesale trade in British Columbia fell 1.3% in November to $4.76 billion, according to Statistics Canada data released January 21.
This was B.C.'s second decline in three months.
Across Canada, wholesale sales remained stable at $50.4 billion. Higher sales in the motor vehicle and parts sector as well as the food, beverage and tobacco sector, up 2.5% and 1.2% respectively, offset drops in other sectors including personal and household goods (down 0.6%), building material and supplies (down 1.2%) and machinery, equipment and supplies (down 0.8%).
The biggest drop in wholesale trade in November was found in Newfoundland and Labrador, which saw an 11.6% drop to $314 million. Alberta came in a distant second, with a 2.4% dip to $6.62 billion.
Increases were seen in Saskatchewan (up 1.7%), Ontario (up 1.4%) and New Brunswick (up 0.9%).
Year-over-year, B.C.'s wholesale sales increased by 4.0% from $4.57 billion in November 2012. Across the country, sales grew 2.3% from $49.28 billion over the same period. The biggest gain was seen in Saskatchewan, with a 16.8% jump over the year.
