Canadian retail sees strong Q1

TORONTO ― Canadian retail sales rose 5.5% in Q1 from a year ago, the strongest quarter in six years, notes retail consultant Ed Strapagiel. The jump in the three-month growth trend can only partly be explained by the difference in the date of Easter (in March this year, but April in 2015) and the extra day in February, he writes, as gains were broadly distributed across sectors including home improvement, drug stores, and new car dealerships. The store merchandise sector rose 6.4%, again with large gains in several store types, including a 10.7% spike in building material and garden equipment stores.