Sales of wholesale goods inched up in June, according to figures released Thursday morning by Statistics Canada.
The agency reported that wholesale sales rose 0.2% in June to $47.8 billion following a 2.0% advance in May. In June, four of the seven subsectors, representing about half of the total wholesale sales, posted gains.
StatsCan added that, after removing the effect of price changes, wholesale sales in volume terms declined 0.5% in June. This primarily reflected higher prices for the imported products sold by wholesalers. This was partly attributable to the depreciation of the Canadian dollar relative to the American dollar during the month.
In June, higher sales in the agricultural supplies and the metal service centres industries were partially offset by lower sales in several other industries.
Sales of agricultural supplies continue to increase. In dollar terms, the miscellaneous subsector registered the highest increase in June, at 3.5%. This increase reflects 15.1% higher sales in the agricultural supplies industry. Wholesalers in this industry have been benefiting from strong global demand and increasing prices of fertilizer.
On the strength of the metal service centres industry, which moved up 6.9%, the building material and supplies subsector rose 2.1% in June following two consecutive declines.
Other subsectors that reported growth were farm products, up 6.3%, and food, beverages and tobacco products (+0.2%).
According to the nation's number crunchers, the largest decline in June occurred in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector, down 1.9%. Almost all of the industries in this subsector reported lower sales.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 1.7%. Sales in this subsector have been relatively flat since the beginning of 2010.
The motor vehicle and parts subsector declined 0.5%, mainly reflecting a 2.0% decrease in the new motor vehicle parts and accessories industry.
