Business

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Retail sales down in December after five straight monthly gains: StatsCan

By: The Canadian Press

Posted: 02/22/2013 8:06 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 02/22/2013 11:51 AM

A man and a woman walks by a store offering big discounts on Boxing Day in Montreal, on December 26, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes.

OTTAWA - Statistics Canada says retail sales declined 2.1 per cent to $38.6 billion in December, after five consecutive monthly gains.

The agency says weak holiday sales and lower sales of new cares pushed the decline.

Lower sales were reported in seven of 11 subsectors, representing 58 per cent of all retail trade.

Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers were off 6.4 per cent, with a 7.7 per cent drop in new car sales.

Most store types typically associated with holiday shopping registered weaker sales in December, with general merchandise store receipts off 3.7 per cent.

Retail sales were down in all provinces in December, with Ontario reporting the largest decrease in dollar terms, at 2.4 per cent.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Business

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.