LBM, garden sales rise in September

OTTAWA — Retail sales rose 1.1 percent to $53.9 billion in September, according to StatCan, the fifth consecutive monthly increase since the record decline in April. Sales of building materials and garden equipment and supplies came to $3.82 billion, an increase of 0.9 percent from August and 19.5 percent from September 2019. Core retail sales, which exclude gasoline and automotive categories, also rose 1.1 percent on sales of general merchandise and food and beverage. Retail sales were up in nine of 11 subsectors, representing 93.2 percent of retail trade.