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Canadian

NATIONAL RETAIL BULLETIN

Shoes, Discounts, and Wellness Beat Inflation in July

Release date: September 22, 2023

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Canadian retail sales grew marginally in July 2023 with All Stores up 0.5% YOY and All stores Less Automotive, Food, Pharmacies down -0.6% YOY. Considering June suffered a decrease in sales, and factors such as the port workers strike causing around $10 billion in lost trade, this is a welcome change.

The greater category of health and wellness continues to impress through 2023 with no end in sight. There are many categories, both negatively and positively, affected by this trend, namely:

  • Health and Personal Care stores are up 5.9% YOY, continuing on a trend of positive growth with YTD in 2023 being up 9%.
  • Beer Wine and Liquor Stores are down -5.0% YOY as consumers opt for healthier options such as non-alcoholic cocktails.
  • Cannabis Retailers continue on an upward trajectory of 13.6% YOY as non-inhalant varieties are seen as a much better alternative than alcohol.
  • Electronics and Appliances Stores, up 10.1% YOY, could be a result of more customers seeking wearables as they exercise more through the summer. Wearables grew 8.5% in Q2 of 2023.

Going against the inflation-related reduction in discretionary spending, Shoe Stores sales were up 10.1% YOY and nearly 17% YTD. With other non-essential categories feeling the impacts of the current day, the fact that shoes are still selling is impressive. Certain brands such as Crocs have continued on their pandemic high, with sales still up over 200% compared to pre-pandemic. Another brand to keep an eye on in the coming months will be Birkenstock, who recorded a 31% annual growth rate from 2020-2022 and is preparing for an IPO.  There may also be a linkage to health and wellness, as consumers are purchasing more shoes for running, basketball, tennis, etc..

Ecommerce sales were up significantly YOY, experiencing a growth of 10.8%, and YTD up 5.9%. With 2023 seeing increased traffic at brick-and-mortar retail locations, this performance is even more impressive. A large piece of this increased revenue is likely thanks to Amazon’s summer prime day which took place July 11-12, 2023. Total sales for Prime Day (i.e., not just in Canada) totalled $12.7 billion over the two days, an increase of 6.1% over 2022. The category that experienced the highest growth was Appliances, up 52% over 2022, with the top selling product overall being the Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote.

It is again the time of year where we begin to start thinking about holiday 2023. RCC and Leger have released their pre-season survey results for holiday, raising questions at JCWG:

  • Considering that November is the most popular time to start shopping in 2023, how early will Black Friday sales begin to get ahead of competition?
  • Which retail categories will be out of reach for Canadians for holiday 2023?
  • Non-holiday related, will there be a significant decrease in grocery sales in August’s report as a result of the Metro strike?
  • How are YOU planning your promotions and pricing in preparation for an overall lower holiday spend?

For support with your holiday strategy, reach out to the trusted experience at JCWG!


Canadian Retail Sales by Product Category, Same Month Comparison

Sales for the Month of JulyJul-23Jul-22YOY
All Stores68,378,85768,035,2190.51%
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers18,044,64817,162,0445.14%
Gasoline Stations7,112,5618,285,635-14.16%
All Stores Less Automotive43,221,64842,587,5401.49%
Food and Beverage Stores13,582,70813,101,9243.67%
Supermarkets and Other Grocery Stores*9,361,3878,764,8386.81%
Convenience Stores843,425796,7095.86%
Specialty Food Stores912,972947,309-3.62%
Beer, Wine and Liquor Stores2,464,9242,593,068-4.94%
Health and Personal Care Stores5,214,1624,924,7765.88%
All Stores Less Automotive, Food, and Pharmacies24,424,77824,560,840-0.55%
General Merchandise Stores9,048,1248,902,7961.63%
Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronic and Appliance Stores3,593,1043,550,2701.21%
Furniture Stores1,258,5821,321,697-4.78%
Home Furnishings Stores647,805696,932-7.05%
Electronics and Appliance Stores1,686,7171,531,64210.12%
Clothing and Accessories Stores3,483,6123,335,9774.43%
Clothing Stores2,725,3502,619,4644.04%
Shoe Stores395,771346,72314.15%
Jewellery, Luggage and Leather Goods Stores362,492369,790-1.97%
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book and Music Stores3,956,1724,011,236-1.37%
Building Material and Garden Equipment4,343,7664,760,562-8.76%
Miscellaneous Store Retailers2,587,7942,651,105-2.39%
Cannabis Retailers446,104392,86713.55%

Canadian Ecommerce Sales

Ecommerce SalesJul-23Jul-22Percent Change
Year to Date        24,246,908  22,907,6865.85%
Year Over Year      3,451,713         3,116,43510.76%

Canadian Retail Sales by Store Category, Year to Date Comparison

Year-to-Date, Ending JulyJul-23Jul-22YTD
All Stores450,547,896441,253,6852.11%
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers123,426,270115,274,2707.07%
Gasoline Stations46,484,91552,991,728-12.28%
All Stores Less Automotive280,636,711272,987,6872.80%
Food and Beverage Stores87,370,18483,647,9204.45%
Supermarkets and Other Grocery Stores*61,684,35158,115,0506.14%
Convenience Stores5,188,4814,854,7826.87%
Specialty Food Stores5,680,8415,945,040-4.44%
Beer, Wine and Liquor Stores14,816,51414,733,0490.57%
Health and Personal Care Stores36,157,52133,186,4008.95%
All Stores Less Automotive, Food, and Pharmacies157,109,006156,153,3670.61%
General Merchandise Stores58,167,32855,783,7594.27%
Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronic and Appliance Stores23,703,73924,159,770-1.89%
Furniture Stores8,051,3498,656,697-6.99%
Home Furnishings Stores4,670,7235,033,163-7.20%
Electronics and Appliance Stores10,981,66710,469,9124.89%
Clothing and Accessories Stores22,636,43620,735,4599.17%
Clothing Stores17,668,04716,089,7589.81%
Shoe Stores2,565,7882,193,69416.96%
Jewellery, Luggage and Leather Goods Stores2,402,6002,452,005-2.01%
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book and Music Stores25,505,63325,448,0140.23%
Building Material and Garden Equipment27,095,87030,026,366-9.76%
Miscellaneous Store Retailers16,600,50816,736,846-0.81%
Cannabis Retailers2,866,6652,547,60012.52%

Retail Trade, Canada, All Stores, by Geographic Regions

RegionYear-to-Date 2023Year-to-Date 20222023/2022
British Columbia61,723,07161,405,4220.52%
Vancouver30,374,12930,469,931-0.31%
Alberta58,375,83055,137,3185.87%
Prairies*29,750,44929,117,1902.17%
Ontario168,483,138168,075,0570.24%
Toronto76,000,49976,643,524-0.84%
Québec101,383,73697,090,7644.42%
Montréal50,474,26247,441,7156.39%
Atlantic Canada30,087,90428,949,6843.93%
Territories1,533,6021,686,015-9.04%

Join the discussion on this release here.


past national retail bulletins


  • CAN NRB December 2022

    February 21, 2023

  • CAN NRB November 2022

    January 23, 2023

  • CAN NRB October 2022

    December 20, 2022

  • CAN NRB September 2022

    November 22, 2022

  • CAN NRB August 2022

    October 21, 2022

  • CAN NRB July 2022

    September 23, 2022

  • CAN NRB June 2022

    September 23, 2022

  • CAN NRB May 2022

    July 22, 2022

  • CAN NRB April 2022

    June 21, 2022

  • CAN NRB March 2022

    May 26, 2022

  • CAN NRB February 2022

    April 22, 2022

  • CAN NRB January 2022

    March 18, 2022
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