Personal and household goods help boost December wholesale sales: Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada says wholesale sales excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain rose 0.3% to $82.9 billion in December.

The agency says the overall increase came as the personal and household goods subsector saw its largest increase of the year as it rose 4.1% to $12.1 billion in December.

The food, beverage and tobacco subsector also rose 1.9% to $15.1 billion in December.

Meanwhile, sales in the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector fell 2.2 per cent to $14.5 billion.

In volume terms, wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.2 per cent in December.

Statistics Canada began including the oilseed and grain industry group as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade earlier this year, but is excluding the data from its monthly analysis until historical data are available for proper monthly and annual analysis.