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:
October 23, 2025RETAIL TRADE, AUGUST 2025 Monthly (seasonally adjusted, August 2025 vs July 2025)
In Nova Scotia retail trade decreased 0.5% to $1.8 billion. Nationally, retail trade increased 1.0% to $70.4 billion. Five provinces reported increases in retail trade, led by Newfoundland and Labrador. Five provinces reported decreases in retail sales, led by Prince Edward Island.
Year over year (August 2025 vs August 2024)
Nova Scotia retail trade increased 1.5% compared to the same month last year. Nationally, retail trade was up 4.9% year-over-year. All provinces reported year-over-year increases in retail trade, led by British Columbia. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador reported the slowest growth rate.
Year to date (January-August 2025 vs January-August 2024)
Nova Scotia retail trade increased 3.4% year-to-date compared to the same period last year. Nationally, retail trade was up 4.9% year-to-date. All provinces reported year-to-date increases in retail trade, led by British Columbia. Prince Edward Island reported the slowest growth (followed by Nova Scotia).
In dollar terms, motor vehicles/parts ($3.956 billion), food/beverage ($2.793 billion), gas stations ($2,025 billion) and general merchandise stores ($1.971 billion) contributed the most to Nova Scotia's retail sales in January-August 2025.
The largest increases in percentage terms were reported in motor vehicles and parts stores, appliances/electronics, clothing, and health/personal care. Gas stations and building materials/garden supply stores reported the only declines.
Trends
In recent months, Nova Scotia retail sales have been more volatile than the Canadian average (common for a smaller province). Nova Scotia reported declining retail sales in recent months.
E-Commerce
In August 2025, Canada's ecommerce sales increased 0.1% compared to the previous month, increasing to $4.29 billion, or to 6.1% of total retail sales.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table: 20-10-0056-01, Monthly retail trade sales by province and territory (x 1,000)
<--- Return to Archive
