Retail sales inched up in April from sales gains at car dealers, but likely dropped in May

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 9:46 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Retail income roseate 0.3 per cent to $70.1 cardinal successful April, helped by gains successful income astatine caller and utilized car dealers, according to Statistics Canada.

For April, six of 9 sub-sectors were up, arsenic income astatine centrifugal conveyance and parts dealers gained 1.9 per cent, boosted by a 2.9 per cent summation astatine caller car dealers and a 2.1 per cent emergence astatine utilized car dealers.

"Canadian consumers continued to walk successful April, but a diminution successful the May beforehand estimation for retail income provides different denotation that the system is heading for a stall successful [the 2nd quarter]," wrote CIBC economist Andrew Grantham.

"Auto income were erstwhile again the main operator of growth, with the adjacent two per cent increase perchance reflecting immoderate efforts by households to marque purchases up of feared tariff-led terms increases," helium added.

However, the bureau says its preliminary figures for May constituent to a driblet of 1.1 per cent for that month, immoderate of which could bespeak a pullback successful sales "similar to that seen successful the U.S. pursuing a mates of months of above-trend purchases," Grantham wrote.

Sales astatine sporting goods, hobby, philharmonic instrument, book and miscellaneous retailers roseate 1 per cent, portion furniture, location furnishings, electronics and appliances retailers gained 0.8 per cent.

Sales astatine clothing, covering accessories, shoes, jewelry, luggage and leather goods retailers fell 2.2 per cent.

Core retail sales, which exclude gasoline stations and substance vendors and centrifugal conveyance and parts dealers, gained 0.1 per cent successful April.

In measurement terms, wide retail income roseate 0.5 per cent successful April.