Forget fears of consumer debt, rising interest rates, job insecurity or the global economy: the Canadian shopper continues to hit the stores.
Friday’s retail sales numbers showed six months in a row of increases, with November’s increase the largest since last March.
So what exactly are Canadians buying?
Compared with last year, sales are up the most at new car dealers, along with auto parts and tire stores. They’re also up a hefty 13 per cent at specialty food stores and 6 per cent at beer, wine and liquor stores.
Clothing, shoe and luggage and jewellery stores are all bustling, and so are gas stations and a category that includes sports equipment, hobbies, books and music.
Drilling down further into Statistics Canada’s more detailed quarterly data yields more specific buying trends. Canadians are snapping up new trucks, vans, mini-vans and SUV’s. Other items that were growing the most between 2009 and 2010: men’s and women’s outerwear, sports shoes, women’s hosiery, small electrical appliances, computers, home-office equipment, exercise equipment, dairy products along with CDs and DVDs. Over-the-counter drugs are more popular, along with home-reno products.
In other words - the gains are widespread, and show spending has resumed throughout much of the retail sector. All told, Canadians spent $37.3-billion in November, with retail sales levels more than bouncing back from the recessionary slump.
