Wholesale sales across Canada rose 2.3% to $50.3 billion in May compared with April, according to Statistics Canada data released this morning.
The increase is the largest monthly rate of growth in wholesale trade since the beginning of 2011.
Sales increased across all subsectors in May, with overall growth driven in large part by increased sales of agricultural supplies (up 19.6% to $2.6 billion) and food (up 4.2% to $8.8 billion). The jump in food sales follows a year of little to no growth in this subsector.
Wholesale trade in B.C. increased by 0.2% in May compared with the previous month. After Prince Edward Island, which saw a drop of 2.8% over the same period, B.C.’s growth was the lowest in the country.
The provinces with the highest rates of growth in May were:
- Manitoba (9.2%);
- Nova Scotia (5.5%); and
- Saskatchewan (5.0%).
Year-over-year, wholesale trade increased 0.8% Canada-wide and 3.7% in B.C.
