Skip to main content

Statistics Canada says wholesale sales fell 0.5 per cent in April to $79.8-billion as the miscellaneous goods and the building materials and supplies subsectors posted the largest declines.

The agency says sales fell in five of seven subsectors comprising more than three-quarters of total wholesale activity in Canada.

The miscellaneous subsector fell 3.4 per cent to $11.5-billion as the agricultural supplies industry dropped 13.6 per cent to $3.3-billion driven by lower imports of fertilizer from Russia.

The building material and supplies subsector dropped 1.4 per cent to $14.0-billion in April as the lumber, millwork, hardware and other building supplies group fell 3.8 per cent to $7.5-billion.

Sales in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector rose 1.8 per cent in April to $16.5-billion.

Overall sales in constant dollars fell 0.6 per cent in April.

Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox in the morning or evening. Sign up today.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe