Statistics Canada says Canada’s retailers suffered a weak final month during last year’s holiday shopping season, with December retail sales edging down 0.2% to $38.6 billion.
The small drop in overall retail performance followed four monthly increases in retail sales, though the agency said sales volumes were stable.
Holiday shoppers kept a tight hold on their wallets, with stores that usually cater to holiday gift-givers among the worst performers.
Sales at department stores were down 1.5% for a fourth consecutive month and sporting goods, hobby, book and music store saw sales drop for the first time in five months, down 3.4% in December.
“The decrease largely reflected weaker sales at sporting goods stores,” Statistics Canada said in its report.
Electronics and appliance store sales were down 2.8%, falling for the second month in a row, while sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores fell 0.8% after rising in October and November.
“Surprisingly, furniture/building material store sales were strong, in contrast to softness in those categories in recent months,” noted CIBC World Markets economist Emanuella Enenajor.
Statistics Canada said sales were down in seven of 11 subsectors, representing 61% of retail sales.
Sales were down in five provinces, with British Columbia reporting the largest drop in dollar terms at 1.4%. Saskatchewan reported a 3.5% drop in 12 months, while Alberta sales slipped 0.7% after four straight monthly increases.
