Canadian retail sales reached $77.8 billion in July
Retail commodity sales totalled $77.8 billion in July, 5.0% more than a year earlier, with automotive fuels leading the increase.
Canadian retailers sold $77.8 billion worth of goods in July 2026, up 5.0% from July 2025, according to Statistics Canada’s commodity-level retail data.
The October 8 edition of The Daily says sales were higher year over year in 14 of 18 commodity classes. Automotive and household fuels rose 23.7%, led by a 23.0% increase in automotive fuel sales.
Food and beverage sales increased 3.8%. Fresh-food sales rose 4.0%, including an 8.6% increase for fresh meat and poultry. Motor-vehicle sales were 2.8% higher: new-vehicle sales rose 6.0%, while used-vehicle sales fell 1.8%.
The Retail Commodity Survey groups sales by the type of product sold, offering a different view from store-based retail indicators. Dollar sales can reflect both changes in quantities bought and changes in prices, so the year-over-year increase should not be read as a pure measure of shopping volume.
Illustrative retail photo: Matt Hanns Schroeter / Unsplash Licence. It is not tied to a business in the survey; cropped and resized for publication.
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