The good news is that retail sales did not slump; the bad news is that they sat still and, basically, didn't go anywhere.
Figures released Friday by Statistics Canada revealed that retail sales were essentially unchanged in June as lower sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers and gas stations offset gains in most of the other sub-sectors.
Economists on average had reportedly expected a decline of 0.1%.
Sales were down in four of 11 sub-sectors tracked by Statistics Canada.
The agency went on to say motor vehicle and parts dealers fell 2.5% n June as sales at new car dealers slumped 3.2%. Gasoline station sales fell 3.4%, even as the price of gasoline moved lower.
Excluding sales in these two sub-sectors, the nation's number-crunchers say, monthly retail sales gained 1.7%.
Retail sales in volume terms increased 0.4%.
