Canada retail sales fall 0.8% in May as consumers spend less on food

 

Canadian retail sales fell more than expected in May as consumers spent less at supermarkets and grocery retailers amid rising food prices and high interest rates, data released Friday showed.

Retail sales, which include autos, clothing, furniture, food and beverages, fell 0.8% in May from the previous month, reversing a 0.6% gain in April, Statistics Canada said. Preliminary estimates for June retail sales, which polled only half of respondents, showed sales may have fallen 0.3%. Retail sales excluding auto and parts dealers, which account for more than a quarter of total sales, fell 1.3%.

Analysts had forecast sales could fall 0.6% in May and estimated a 0.5% drop excluding autos and parts. Sales at food and beverage retailers, which account for nearly a fifth of total sales, fell 1.9%, the report said, mainly due to a sharp drop in purchases at supermarkets and grocery retailers.

Total retail sales in May were C$66.13 billion ($48.2 billion), with eight of the nine subsectors declining.