Canadian retail sales unexpectedly rose by 0.4% in November to a record high $43.03 billion, pushed up in part by promotions such as Black Friday.
Figures released by Statistics Canada Friday morning also indicated that market operators had expected a 0.2% decline from October. The previous high was $42.86 billion recorded in September.
StatsCan said unseasonably cold weather and the timing of new product releases had also helped boost sales. Canadian stores have recently started following the example of the United States, where retailers cut prices on Black Friday, the day after U.S. Thanksgiving.
Although sales at clothing and footwear stores rose by 5.2% and electronic and appliance stores posted a 4.6% advance, gains were only reported in five of 11 sub-sectors, representing 27% of retail trade.
The three largest sub-sectors – motor vehicles and parts dealers, food and beverage stores and gasoline stations – all posted slight declines from October.
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