Higher costs, cautious consumers and excess inventory are putting pressure on Canadian retailers, with experts urging earlier action to protect cash flow and preserve business value.
New federal figures show consumer insolvencies increased by 2.2%, while separate research found more than one-third of respondents had skipped essentials because of financial pressure.
There were 37,523 consumer insolvencies filed during the quarter, up 6.9 per cent from the same period a year earlier and 1.1 per cent from the first quarter.
Management of Companies and Enterprises; Accommodation and Food Services; and Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction registered the largest increases in the number of insolvencies.