Retail sales of auto parts in Canada increased

Retail sales of auto parts in Canada was up in March, according to analysis from Statistics Canada.

Auto parts sales rose to $878 million in March 2019. That’s up 7.2% from last March’s sales of $819 million.

The auto parts sector was one of seven that saw improvements over February’s numbers. Four sectors saw declines.

Overall, retail sales in Canada increased for the second consecutive month, rising 1.1% to $51.3 billion in March.

Higher sales at gasoline stations and building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers were the main contributors to the increase, although the increase in sales at the gasoline pumps were due to higher prices at the pump.  In terms of volume, sales at gasoline stations were relatively unchanged from February.

The retail sales increase was seen in all nine provinces; the highest increase was in Alberta.

Retail e-commerce sales have increased 20% on a year over year basis since 2016 when Statistics Canada officially started publishing for e-commerce retail.