Wholesale sales in Alberta increased 1.3 per cent in June to $6.9 billion, following an 8.3 per cent decline in May, says Statistics Canada.
In a report released on Thursday, the federal agency said “higher sales were recorded in four of seven subsectors, led by the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector, and the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector.”
On an annual basis, sales in the province were up 1.2 per cent.
Nationally, wholesale sales rose 0.6 per cent to $64.1 billion in June, partly offsetting the 1.9 per cent decline in May. Sales were up in four of seven subsectors, representing 54 per cent of total wholesale sales.
“In dollar terms, the miscellaneous, and the machinery, equipment and supplies subsectors contributed the most to the increase in June, while the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector posted the largest decline. In volume terms, wholesale sales increased 0.6 per cent,” it said.
“During the second quarter, current dollar sales rose 1.3 per cent, the 13th consecutive quarterly gain. Quarterly sales increased in five of seven subsectors, led by the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector, and the personal and household goods subsector. Constant dollar sales were up 1.2 per cent in the quarter.”
The federal agency said wholesale inventories rose 1.5 per cent to $93.3 billion in June, the 10th consecutive monthly gain. Increases were recorded in six of seven subsectors, representing 83 per cent of total wholesale inventories. Inventories rose 3.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2019, the 12th consecutive quarterly increase, it added.
“The inventory-to-sales ratio increased from 1.44 in May to 1.45 in June. For more than a year, this ratio has generally been on the rise, having increased from 1.36 in June 2018 to 1.45 in June 2019. Prior to 2019, the last time this ratio was 1.40 or at a higher level for more than two consecutive months was in the beginning of 2009. An increase was also observed in the manufacturing sector, where the ratio rose from 1.41 to 1.51 during the same period.”
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