Canadian retail sales rise 4.5% year over year in August

Canadian retailers sold $76.3 billion in goods in August, up 4.5% from the same month a year earlier, Statistics Canada reported November 6.

Sales increased in 15 of 18 commodity classes. Automotive and household fuels rose 25.1%, driven largely by higher fuel prices. Home health products were up 12.8%, while prescription-drug sales increased 15.2%.

Motor-vehicle sales rose 3.5% from August 2025. New-vehicle sales increased 7.4%, while used-vehicle sales fell 2.1%.

Statistics Canada’s advance estimate suggests unadjusted September retail sales were 8.1% higher than a year earlier. That estimate is preliminary and will be revised when the full September data are released.

Source

Statistics Canada, Retail Commodity Survey, August 2026, released November 6, 2026.

Illustrative stock photo: Boxed Water Is Better / Unsplash, under the Unsplash License. The shopper pictured is not associated with Statistics Canada’s survey.