Statistics Canada

Canadian Retailers Delay Hiring as Three U.S. Chains Postpone Expansion

Craig Patterson -
Suzanne Sears says three American retailers postponed Canadian expansion plans amid tariff uncertainty, while holiday hiring and recruitment decisions slow.

Canadian employment holds steady in October as wholesale and retail trade shed 29,000 jobs: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
Statistics Canada reports a 1 per cent monthly decline in wholesale and retail trade employment in October, while the national unemployment rate edged up to 6.7 per cent.

A Price Freeze That Doesn’t Freeze Canadian Grocery Bills

Sylvain Charlebois -
Sylvain Charlebois questions whether the grocery industry's annual supplier price blackout benefits Canadian shoppers. His analysis of historical monthly food-price changes highlights the distinction between frozen supplier negotiations and prices at the checkout.

Retail trade rebounds in August on widespread strengths across most subsectors: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
A rebound in motor vehicle and parts dealers (+1.8%) led the increase in August, driven by higher sales at new car dealers and more than offsetting the decline in July, said Statistics Canada.

Statistics Canada Reports August Job Losses in Retail and Food Services

Mario Toneguzzi -
Statistics Canada says retail payroll employment fell by 4,400 in August, while accommodation and food services lost 6,800 jobs as vacancies held steady at 507,200.

Statistics Canada Reports Eighth Consecutive Monthly Increase in Restaurant Sales

Mario Toneguzzi -
Statistics Canada reports restaurant and foodservice sales rose 0.3% to $8.9 billion in August, despite ongoing profitability pressures across the industry.

Statistics Canada: Canada’s retail workforce is aging as AI adoption grows

Mario Toneguzzi -
Statistics Canada reports an aging retail workforce, rising AI adoption and uneven employment growth as Canadian retailers adapt to e-commerce and changing consumer spending.

Retail Insider’s Canadian Retail Monitor: October 2026 — Retail Spending Rebounds, but Growth Remains Uneven

Craig Patterson -
Canadian retail sales rose 1.2% in August 2026 to $74.6 billion, with gains across all nine major subsectors. Retail Insider's October Canadian Retail Monitor examines category performance, regional differences, wholesale activity, e-commerce growth and persistent affordability pressures heading into the holiday season.

Retail sales climb to nearly $75 billion in August: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
Core retail sales, which exclude gasoline stations and fuel vendors and motor vehicle and parts dealers, were up 1.1% in August.

Canadian consumers facing higher prices: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
Despite the year-over-year slowdown in prices for groceries, prices have increased 33.0% since September 2020.

Canada’s Food Affordability Crisis Goes Beyond Grocery Prices

Sylvain Charlebois -
As World Food Day approaches, Sylvain Charlebois examines the widening divide between Canada's agricultural strength and household food security. New income and expense comparisons show why rising disposable incomes have not eliminated affordability pressures for lower- and middle-income Canadians.

Canadian Retailers Face a Costly Employee Retention Challenge

Craig Patterson -
Canadian retailers face rising employee turnover costs. Suzanne Sears explains how training and career development can help businesses retain staff.

Canada’s Retail Employment Puzzle: Why Store Expansion Isn’t Telling the Whole Story

Craig Patterson -
Canada's retail employment picture is changing as stores expand. Suzanne Sears examines staffing, hiring trends and workforce challenges.

Employment falls for 2nd straight month, 68,000 jobs lost in September: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
The unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 6.5%.

Q3 2026 Consumer Behaviour / Retail Economy: Spending Holds Up as Shoppers Become More Selective

Craig Patterson -
Canadian consumer spending remained resilient during Q3 2026, while household financial pressure produced widening differences in purchasing behaviour. The report examines retail sales, value seeking, credit use and shopping decisions, distinguishing aggregate spending growth from changes in individual household demand.

Retail Insider’s Canadian Retail Monitor — September 2026: Consumer Spending Becomes Selective

Craig Patterson -
Canadian retail is experiencing widening demand gaps across categories, regions and price points as value considerations move deeper into retailer strategy.

Retail trade sector dips in July: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
Retailing activity at gasoline stations and fuel vendors (-3.5%) contracted in July, offsetting most of the increase recorded in the previous month.

Food services and drinking places sales reach close to $9 billion in July: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
In July, the largest increase in sales in dollar terms came from full-service restaurants (+0.8%), the industry's seventh consecutive month-over-month increase.

Tourism spending on the rise: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
Tourism GDP accounted for 1.77% of nominal GDP in the second quarter, virtually unchanged from the first quarter.

Payroll employment increases in retail trade: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
From February to July, payroll employment in this sector generally trended up, with an overall increase of 25,300 (+1.3%).

Consumer prices rise 3% y/y in August: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
Although prices for groceries decelerated this month, prices have increased 29.0% since August 2021.

Canada loses 42,000 jobs in August: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
Wholesale and retail trade (-55,000; -1.8%) recorded the largest decline across industries over the past 12 months.

Retail Insider’s Canadian Retail Monitor — August 2026 Edition: Demand Strengthens as Volumes Rise

Craig Patterson -
Retail Insider’s first edition of the Canadian Retail Monitor finds demand strengthened, with sales volumes rising faster than headline sales. Health, apparel and general merchandise led growth, while grocery weakened and e-commerce rebounded sharply.

Canadian economy bounces back in Q2: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
"The problem going forward is that trade uncertainty is back with new U.S. tariffs now imposed, Canadian retaliation due early next month, and the prospect of further escalation hard to dismiss."

Retail payroll employment declines in June: Statistics Canada

Mario Toneguzzi -
In June, the largest monthly declines in retail trade were in grocery and convenience retailers (-1,200; -0.3%).
- Advertisement -