Canadian wholesale eases in April

Wholesale sales in Canada dipped 0.6 percent to $40.3 billion in April, with declines in four of seven sectors, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.

The agency said lower sales in the building materials sector and the machinery/electronic equipment sector were the driving factors in the decrease. Building material sales were off 2.9 percent, while sales in the machinery and electronic equipment sector decreased 1.2 percent, reflecting a 4 percent drop in the computers and other electronic equipment trade group, the release said.

The automotive products sector led the gainers, with a 1.4 percent gain to $5.5 billion. Within the sector, motor vehicle sales rose 2.4 percent, StatsCan said.

Regionally, only Newfoundland/Labrador and British Columbia posted wholesale increases of 2.1 percent and 1.2 percent respectively. All other provinces and territories posted declines, led by Manitoba, which was down 6 percent, the report said.