Wholesale sales in this country decreased by 0.3% in November, following gains in the previous two months, said Statistics Canada in data released on Wednesday.
Analysts had expected a decline of 0.1%. Wholesale trade dropped to $54.03 billion for November, down from a record high of $54.18 billion in October, the nation's number crunchers said.
Three of seven sectors recorded drops in sales for November, led by the machinery, equipment and supplies sub-sector, which declined by 2.8% in the month. But the agency said losses were partially offset by higher sales in the motor vehicle and parts sub-sector, which rose by 2.8%.
The building materials and supplies sub-sector saw sales decrease by 1.7% in November, its first decline in 2014. The farm products sub-sector also recorded a 7.3% decrease for the month.
