Canadian retail sales increased 1.3 per cent in November 2025 to $70.4 billion, Statistics Canada reported on Jan. 23, 2026, with sales up in eight of nine subsectors, led by food and beverage retailers. An advance estimate, however, suggests sales fell 0.5 per cent in December.
Food, drink and a liquor rebound lead the way
Core retail sales — excluding gasoline stations and motor vehicle and parts dealers — rose 1.6 per cent in November after falling in the previous two months. The largest contribution came from food and beverage retailers, up 3.0 per cent. Within that group, beer, wine and liquor retailers jumped 14.3 per cent, rebounding from an 11.8 per cent drop in October, when labour disruptions in British Columbia hit the sale and distribution of alcohol. Supermarkets and other grocery retailers rose 1.2 per cent.
Health and personal care retailers added 1.6 per cent, clothing retailers rose 2.4 per cent — clothing and clothing accessories stores gained 2.7 per cent after two straight monthly declines — and building material and garden equipment dealers were up 2.1 per cent for a second consecutive monthly gain. Gasoline stations and fuel vendors rose 2.0 per cent after falling 1.4 per cent in October, though in volume terms their sales were up just 0.7 per cent. The only subsector to decline was sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book and miscellaneous retailers, down 0.2 per cent.
In volume terms — stripping out price changes — retail sales rose 1.1 per cent in November. Compared with a year earlier, sales were up 3.1 per cent.
Alberta leads the provinces
Retail sales increased in seven provinces. Alberta posted the largest increase in dollar terms, up 3.7 per cent on higher sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers. Ontario rose 0.8 per cent on stronger receipts at health and personal care retailers, with sales in the Toronto census metropolitan area up 0.9 per cent. The largest decrease was in New Brunswick, down 0.7 per cent, led by lower sales at food and beverage retailers.
Online sales moved the other way: seasonally adjusted retail e-commerce fell 2.8 per cent to $4.0 billion in November, accounting for 5.7 per cent of total retail trade, down from 6.0 per cent in October.
A stronger November, a softer December
November’s 1.3 per cent increase was the strongest in five months and modestly sharper than the 1.2 per cent rise economists had expected, following a 0.3 per cent slide in October. But the momentum appears to have faded over the holidays: Statistics Canada’s advance estimate, based on responses from about 61 per cent of surveyed companies, suggests sales decreased 0.5 per cent in December. The figure is unofficial and will be revised.
Cardholder tracking by the Royal Bank of Canada softens the December picture somewhat: RBC said spending in December was up 0.7 per cent on a three-month average — a 13th consecutive period of growth — driven by discretionary goods such as clothing, while outlays on discretionary services and household essentials were little changed.
The retail figures were among the last major indicators before the Bank of Canada’s interest-rate decision on Wednesday, Jan. 28, when the central bank is also due to update its economic projections — with spending data like these helping it judge whether consumers are absorbing trade-war uncertainty or buckling under it.
