The Economics and Statistics Division maintains archives of previous publications for accountability purposes, but makes no updates to keep these documents current with the latest data revisions from Statistics Canada. As a result, information in older documents may not be accurate. Please exercise caution when referring to older documents. For the latest information and historical data, please contact the individual listed to the right.
<--- Return to Archive
For additional information relating to this article, please contact:
April 15, 2026WHOLESALE TRADE, FEBRUARY 2026 Monthly (February 2026 vs January 2026, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia wholesale trade increased by 7.8% from January to February, rising to $1.31 billion. National wholesale trade rose 2.0% to $86.77 billion. Seven provinces reported monthly growth in February led by Nova Scotia, while Alberta reported the fastest decline.
Year-over-year (February 2026 vs February 2025, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia wholesale trade rose 2.9% in February when compared with the same month last year. Canada's wholesale trade grew 1.2% year-over-year. Six provinces reported year-over-year increases in wholesale trade led by Saskatchewan, while Newfoundland and Labrador reported the largest decline.
Year-to-date (January-February 2026 vs January-February 2025, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia's wholesale trade grew 0.3% in the first two months of 2026. National wholesale trade was up 0.6% in January-February 2026, with growth in just four provinces. Saskatchewan reported the strongest growth while Newfoundland and Labrador reported the steepest decline, year-to-date.
Food and beverage wholesale represents the largest share of Nova Scotia's reported wholesale trade categories, followed by building materials.
Motor vehicle and parts and miscellaneous saw the largest year-to-date percentage increase in wholesale trade, while building materials and food/beverage wholesale merchant sales were down.
Trends
Through much of 2025 and into 2026, Nova Scotia's wholesale trade has outpaced the national average.
National wholesale inventories as a share of sales increased in 2025. In February 2026, the inventory-to-sales ratio declined to 1.56.
Note: wholesale trade data excludes petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons as well as oilseed and grain.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 20-10-0074-01 Wholesale trade, sales (x 1,000); Table 20-10-0076-01 Wholesale trade, inventories (x 1,000)
<--- Return to Archive
