Canada: Retail sales rose 0.8% to $48.6 billion in April

"Retail sales rose 0.8% to $48.6 billion in April and sales were up in 9 of 11 subsectors, representing 71% of total retail trade," said the Statistics Canada on Thursyda.

Key highlights:

• Excluding sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales climbed 1.5%
• The largest increase in dollar terms was a 2.1% increase at general merchandise stores
• Following a 2.3% rise in March, sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers decreased 1.0% in April