Wholesale sales up in March: Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 1.9% to $89 billion in March. 

The agency says the increase came as five of the seven subsectors it tracks climbed higher.

The largest increase was posted by the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector which grew 6.5% to $19.5 billion, helped by a 17.9% increase in the computer and communications equipment and supplies industry group.

The personal and household goods subsector also rose 0.8% to $13.3 billion. 

The farm product subsector, excluding oilseed and grains, fell 3.8% to $1.7 billion.

In volume terms, wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, increased 1.7% in March.

Statistics Canada has started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade, but is excluding the data from its monthly analysis until there is enough historical data for comparison. 

The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is a national news agency headquartered in Toronto and founded in 1917.