Canada's retail sales in December up 0.5% to $62.1B

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Canada's retail sales rose 0.5% to $62.1 billion in December, the country's statistical authority said Tuesday.

The figure came in better than market expectations of a 0.4% monthly increase, while retail sales declined 0.1% in November.

In December, retail sales increased in seven out of 11 subsectors, representing 75.1% of retail trade, Statistics Canada said in a statement.

The increase was led by higher sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers that jumped 3.8%, and merchandise stores, which jumped 1.7%.

Core retail sales, which exclude gasoline stations and motor vehicle and parts dealers, increased 0.4%.

In all of 2022, retail sales climbed 8.2%, led by gasoline stations and merchandise stores, according to Statistics Canada.