Canada Wholesale Sales Stall in May

2026-07-15 12:48 By Isabela Couto 1 min. read

Wholesale sales in Canada were unchanged month-over-month at C$90.0 billion in May 2026, following an upwardly revised 1.4% increase in April, compared with the preliminary estimate of a 0.7% decline.

Sales fell in four of the seven subsectors.

The food, beverage, and tobacco subsector declined 1.5% to C$16.0 billion, driven by lower sales in the food industry group (-1.5%).

The personal and household goods subsector also contracted, with sales down 0.6% to C$13.1 billion.

Within the category, the pharmaceuticals industry posted the largest decline, falling 3.1%.

The overall weakness was partly offset by a 14.2% increase in the non-agricultural chemical and allied products industry group, which lifted the miscellaneous subsector by 2.2%.

Regionally, wholesale sales declined in eight provinces, led by Quebec (-1.8%) and British Columbia (-2.6%).

Compared with a year earlier, wholesale sales were 7.4% higher in May.



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Canada Wholesale Sales Stall in May
Wholesale sales in Canada were unchanged month-over-month at C$90.0 billion in May 2026, following an upwardly revised 1.4% increase in April, compared with the preliminary estimate of a 0.7% decline. Sales fell in four of the seven subsectors. The food, beverage, and tobacco subsector declined 1.5% to C$16.0 billion, driven by lower sales in the food industry group (-1.5%). The personal and household goods subsector also contracted, with sales down 0.6% to C$13.1 billion. Within the category, the pharmaceuticals industry posted the largest decline, falling 3.1%. The overall weakness was partly offset by a 14.2% increase in the non-agricultural chemical and allied products industry group, which lifted the miscellaneous subsector by 2.2%. Regionally, wholesale sales declined in eight provinces, led by Quebec (-1.8%) and British Columbia (-2.6%). Compared with a year earlier, wholesale sales were 7.4% higher in May.
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