Wholesale trade, April 2023
Released: 2023-06-16
$80.9 billion
April 2023
-1.4% 
(monthly change)
$409.5 million
April 2023
-4.0%
(monthly change)
$120.2 million
April 2023
1.7% 
(monthly change)
$1,123.4 million
April 2023
-4.8%
(monthly change)
$789.5 million
April 2023
-2.8%
(monthly change)
$14,655.8 million
April 2023
-3.0%
(monthly change)
$41,373.3 million
April 2023
-1.4%
(monthly change)
$1,890.4 million
April 2023
12.4%
(monthly change)
$3,612.1 million
April 2023
-1.7%
(monthly change)
$9,291.5 million
April 2023
-2.0%
(monthly change)
$7,536.1 million
April 2023
0.7%
(monthly change)
x
April 2023
x
(monthly change)
$35.5 million
April 2023
0.5%
(monthly change)
x
April 2023
x
(monthly change)
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) fell 1.4% to $80.9 billion in April. Sales fell in four of the seven subsectors. The decrease in sales was mainly led by the miscellaneous and the food, beverage and tobacco product subsectors. Despite the monthly decrease in the sector, wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) were higher (+1.4%) than in April 2022.
Petroleum products as well as oilseed and grain data continue to be available in data tables but will be excluded from monthly analysis until historical data are available for proper monthly and annual analysis.
Constant dollar sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) fell 1.4% in April 2023.
Chart 1
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) decrease in April
Decline of sales in the miscellaneous subsector leads the decrease in April
Sales in the miscellaneous subsector fell 8.8% to $10.4 billion in April. Overall, six of seven industry groups reported a monthly decline in April, but it was the lower sales of the agricultural supplies industry group (-20.0% to $3.3 billion) that influenced the majority of the subsector movement. For the second month in a row, the industry group reported a strong monthly decline in April, making the April decrease the largest on record. The monthly decline was due to multiple high-valued shipments of agricultural supply products delivered in previous months.
The food, beverage and tobacco product subsector, down 2.0% to $14.8 billion in April, also contributed to the wholesale sector decline. Though the majority of the industry groups reported a climb in sales, the drop of sales in the food industry group drove the overall subsector to a decline. Monthly sales of this industry group have declined in two of the last three months; the slower movement relates to the slower-paced increase of grocery prices, unlike the sharp increases when prices spiked in second half of 2022.
Partially offsetting the decline in the wholesale sector were higher sales from the motor vehicle, parts and accessories subsector, reporting an increase of 3.2% to $12.7 billion in April. The motor vehicle industry group led the increase in the subsector, reporting an increase of sales (+4.2%) in April, the first increase since November 2022.
Decrease of sales from Ontario leads provincial decline
Sales decreased in the majority of the provinces in April 2023, led by lower sales in Ontario, followed by Quebec and Alberta.
Wholesale sales in Ontario fell 1.4% to $41.4 billion in April. Sales declined in six of seven subsectors, with the largest decrease coming from the personal and household goods subsector (-4.1% to $6.9 billion), followed by the miscellaneous subsector (-6.1% to $4.6 billion).
Sales in Quebec decreased by 3.0% to $14.7 billion in April. The decline was led by a decrease of sales in the miscellaneous (-16.3% to $1.5 billion) and food (-3.3% to $3.4 billion) subsectors.
Inventories fall in April
Wholesale inventories (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) fell 0.4% to $129.3 billion in April, the first decline since November 2022.
A decrease of inventories was reported in four of the seven subsectors in April 2023, led by the building material and supplies subsector (-2.2%), followed by the personal and household goods subsector (-1.0%) and the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector (-0.5%).
The inventory-to-sales ratio increased from 1.58 in March to 1.60 in April. This ratio is a measure of the time (in months) required to exhaust inventories if sales were to remain at their current levels.
Note to readers
All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars unless otherwise noted.
Seasonally adjusted data are data that have been modified to eliminate the effect of seasonal and calendar influences to allow for more meaningful comparisons of economic conditions from period to period. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Section 2: Issues related to analysis and interpretation.
Trend-cycle estimates are included in selected charts as a complement to the seasonally adjusted series. These data represent a smoothed version of the seasonally adjusted time series (see Section 1: Concepts and definitions) and provide information on longer-term movements, including underlying changes in direction in the series. For information on trend-cycle data, see Trend-cycle estimates – Frequently asked questions.
Both seasonally adjusted data and trend-cycle estimates are subject to revision as additional observations become available. These revisions could be large and could even lead to a reversal of movement, especially for reference months near the end of the series or during periods of economic disruptions.
Total wholesale sales expressed in volume are calculated by deflating current dollar values using relevant price indexes. The wholesale sales series in chained (2012) dollars is a chained Fisher volume index, with 2012 as the reference year. For more information, see the publication ''Deflation of wholesale sales.''
The Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey covers all industries within the wholesale trade sector, as defined by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), with the exception of business-to-business electronic markets, and agents and brokers (NAICS 419).
Real-time data tables
Real-time data tables 20-10-0019-01, 20-10-0020-01 and 20-10-0005-01 will be updated soon.
Next release
Wholesale trade data for May will be released on July 17.
Products
The product "Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey: Interactive Tool" (71-607-X) is available online. This product is based on the data published in the tables of the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey: 20-10-0074-01, 20-10-0076-01 and 20-10-0003-01.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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