Canada Wholesale Trade

Data Macro

Source: Statistics Canada
Source Link: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/
Frequency: Monthly
Next Release(s): September 15th, 2025 12:30 PM

Latest Updates

The advance results for July indicate that wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) rose 1.3% MoM, which would be the largest monthly increase since January.
- The increase reflects higher sales in the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector.
- This estimate was calculated based on a weighted response rate of 63.6%.
Source
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum and oilseed/grain) rose 0.7% MoM in June 2025 to $84.7 billion and were up 3.2% YoY, with volume sales also increasing 0.6% MoM.
- Food, beverage and tobacco sales increased 1.7% MoM to $15.6B, led by a 1.9% MoM gain in food sales.
- Miscellaneous subsector sales rose 2.4% MoM to $10.7B, driven by minerals, ores and precious metals.
- Machinery, equipment and supplies sales edged up 0.6% MoM to $18.0B, while Alberta posted the largest provincial drop (-2.9% MoM) on machinery weakness.
- Quebec led provincial growth, up 1.9% MoM to $15.3B, with notable gains in miscellaneous (+8.4%) and building materials (+5.3%).
- Wholesale inventories increased 0.9% MoM to $131.7B, keeping the inventory-to-sales ratio steady at 1.55.
Source
The advance results for June indicate that wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) increased 0.7% MoM, the largest monthly increase since January.
- The increase reflects higher sales in five of the seven subsectors.
- This estimate was calculated based on a weighted response rate of 66.0%. The average final response rate to the survey over the 12 preceding months was 81.8%.
Source
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum and oilseed/grain) rose 0.1% MoM in May 2025 to $84.2 billion and were up 1.8% YoY, with volume sales also increasing 0.2% MoM.
- Personal and household goods led gains, up 3.5% MoM, with sharp increases in textiles (+14.4%) and appliances (+15.5%).
- Motor vehicle and parts sales rose 2.2% MoM, driven by a 2.9% MoM increase in motor vehicle sales.
- Machinery, equipment, and supplies fell -3.3% MoM, with farm machinery down -17.1%.
- British Columbia saw the largest provincial increase (+4.1% MoM), while Quebec posted a -1.5% MoM decline.
- Wholesale inventories rose 0.8% to $130.3 billion, pushing the inventory-to-sales ratio up to 1.55 from 1.54.
Source
The advance results for May indicate that wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) decreased -0.4% MoM, the 2nd straight monthly decline.
- The decline reflects lower sales in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector.
- This estimate was calculated based on a weighted response rate of 63.4%. The average final response rate to the survey over the 12 preceding months was 82.1%.
Source
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum and oilseed/grain) fell -2.3% MoM in April to $84.0 billion but were up 0.1% YoY.
- Volume of wholesale sales declined -2.2% MoM, the largest monthly decline since June 2023.
- The motor vehicle and parts subsector led the decline, down -6.5% MoM to $14.3 billion, driven by a -7.7% MoM drop in motor vehicle sales.
- The miscellaneous subsector dropped -3.8% MoM, while food, beverage, and tobacco rose +1.2% MoM.
- Ontario led the provincial decline (-2.1% MoM), followed by Saskatchewan (-13.2%) and British Columbia (-5.7%).
- Inventories declined -0.2% MoM to $129.4 billion; the inventory-to-sales ratio increased to 1.54 from 1.51.
Source
Canada’s preliminary estimate of wholesale sales in April projects a -0.9% MoM decline which would be the first decline since August 2024.
- The decline reflects lower sales in the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector.
- This estimate was calculated based on a weighted response rate of 55.0%. The average final response rate to the survey over the 12 preceding months was 82.3%.
Source
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) rose 0.2% MoM and 5.7% YoY to $86.5 billion in March, up from the advance estimate of a -0.3% MoM decline.
- Sales increased in three of the seven subsectors, representing 32.0% of total wholesale sales.
- The largest increase came from the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector (+4.5% MoM to $15.1 billion), followed by the miscellaneous subsector (+4.1% MoM to $11.0 billion).
- In volume terms, wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) decreased -0.3% MoM in March.
Source
Canada’s preliminary estimate of wholesale sales in March projects a -0.3% MoM decline which would be the first decline since August 2024.
- The decline reflects lower sales in five of the seven subsectors.
- This estimate was calculated based on a weighted response rate of 64.8%. The average final response rate to the survey over the 12 preceding months was 82.2%.
Source
The final estimate of Canada’s wholesale trade growth in February was 0.3% MoM and 3.3% YoY, a slight downward revision from the 0.4% MoM increase that was first estimated.
- Sales increased in two of the seven subsectors, representing 40.3% of total wholesale sales.
- The largest increase came from the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector (+7.1% MoM).
- Oil and oil products wholesale sales (excluded from the headline number) fell -9.4% MoM and -13.4% YoY.
- Wholesale inventories rose 2.2% MoM to $130.6 billion in February.
- For the first time since September 2022, inventories grew in all seven subsectors in February 2025, led by the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector (+4.2% MoM to $40.0 billion)
Source
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) in February rose 0.4% MoM after a 1.2% MoM increase in January. The increase reflects higher sales in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector. This estimate was calculated based on a weighted response rate of 60.4%.

Source
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) rose 1.2% MoM to $85.1 billion in January, short of the 1.8% MoM advance estimate.
- Sales increased in five of the seven subsectors, representing 77.6% of total wholesale sales.
- The largest increases came from the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector (+3.7% MoM) and the building material and supplies subsector (+3.5% MoM).
- Wholesale sales were 2.7% MoM higher in January compared with the same month one year earlier.
- In volume terms, wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) increased 0.8% MoM in January.
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