Canadian retail sales declined more than expected in July in a broad-based retreat led by auto dealers, who had benefited from unusually robust activity in the previous month, according to figures released Thursday.
Overall retail sales fell 0.6% to $37.5 billion in July after three straight monthly increases.
It was the first month-to-month decline since January, when sales fell back 0.3%, and the biggest since April 2010 when there was a two per cent decline attributed mostly to weakness sales of motor vehicles and parts.
Lower sales were reported in seven of 11 subsectors tracked by Statistics Canada.
Vehicle and parts dealers accounting for most of the decline. A 3.5% drop in sales at new-car dealers offset gains made in June, StatsCan said Thursday in its monthly report.
Excluding vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales were flat.
