TODD KOROL
Four of seven subsectors dropped as wholesale sales declined 0.3 per cent to $43.9-billion in June.
Sales were down 0.1 per cent by volume.
Statistics Canada reports the largest decrease came in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector, which fell 2.3 per cent to $8.9-billion in June.
Declines were reported in all four industries in this subsector, with the other machinery, equipment and supplies industry posting the largest drop, at 4.5 per cent.
The building material and supplies subsector fell 2 per cent as all three of its component industries declined.
The largest increase in dollar terms for the month was in the miscellaneous subsector, which grew 3.2 per cent and includes agricultural supplies, non-agricultural chemicals, paper products, and recycled materials industries.
Agricultural supplies alone rose 18 per cent in June following a 28.6 per cent decline in May.
Wholesale sales were down in seven provinces in June, with Quebec and British Columbia accounting for most of the decline.
Wholesale trade inventories climbed 0.6 per cent to $52.7-billion in June, their highest level since September 2009.
Over all, 13 of the 25 wholesale trade industries reported higher inventory levels.