Canada: Retail sales rose 1.5% to $49.9 billion in October

Retail sales in Canada rose 1.5% to $49.9 billion in October, according to the latest data released by the Statistics Canada.

Key highlights

Higher sales at new car dealers were the main contributor to the gain.

Excluding sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales increased 0.8%.

Sales were up in 7 of 11 subsectors, representing 79% of retail trade.

After removing the effects of price changes, retail sales in volume terms increased 1.4%.