Retail sales reached $56.9 billion in February, an increase of 1.0 percent compared with the same month one year earlier, according to StatCan. The largest monthly increase in dollar terms coming from food and beverage sales, up 1.9 percent year over year.
The largest decline in February was in hardware, tools, and renovation and lawn and garden products, which tumbled by 7.5 percent. In dollar terms, the leading decrease within this product class came from 7.6 percent lower sales of lumber and other renovation materials and supplies.
