Statistics Canada says retail sales rose 0.7% in April to $66.8 billion

Statistics Canada says retail sales rose 0.7% to $66.8 billion in April, helped by higher sales at gasoline stations as well as food and beverage retailers.

The agency says sales were up in seven of the nine subsectors it tracks as sales at gasoline stations and fuel vendors gained 4.5%.

Sales at food and beverage retailers also gained 1.9%. Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers fell 2.2% as sales at new car dealers dropped 2.9%.

Core retail sales—which exclude gasoline stations and fuel vendors and motor vehicle and parts dealers—rose 1.4% in April.

In volume terms, retail sales gained 0.5%.

Statistics Canada says its advance estimate of retail sales points to a decline of 0.6% in May, but cautioned the figure would be revised.