Canadian retail sales rise 1.2% in August as Montréal slips 0.5%

Canadian retail sales rose 1.2 per cent to $74.6 billion in August, with gains in all nine subsectors, Statistics Canada reported on October 23. Sales volumes also increased 1.2 per cent.

Quebec sales edged up 0.2 per cent to $16.2 billion, while the Montréal census metropolitan area declined 0.5 per cent to $7.9 billion. Compared with August 2025, sales were 2.2 per cent higher in Quebec and 0.8 per cent higher in Montréal.

Nationally, motor-vehicle and parts dealers led the monthly increase. Retail e-commerce sales rose 1.1 per cent to $5.6 billion and represented 7.6 per cent of total retail trade.

Statistics Canada’s advance indicator suggests September sales increased 0.7 per cent. The agency cautioned that the early estimate is unofficial, based on responses from 58.5 per cent of surveyed companies and subject to revision.

Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, Retail trade, August 2026, released October 23, 2026.

Featured image: shopping-centre interior, by Allen Y via Unsplash. Illustrative stock photo; it is not part of the Statistics Canada survey.