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March 12, 2026WHOLESALE TRADE, JANUARY 2026 Monthly (seasonally adjusted, January 2026 vs December 2025)
Nova Scotia wholesale trade increased by 3.0% from December to January, rising to $1.21 billion. National wholesale trade decreased 1.0% to $85.16 billion. Six provinces reported monthly declines in January with Ontario and Saskatchewan reporting the steepest drops, while Prince Edward Island reported the fastest gain (followed by Nova Scotia).
Year-over-year (seasonally adjusted, January 2026 vs January 2025)
Nova Scotia wholesale trade declined 2.7% in January when compared with the same month last year. Canada's wholesale trade edged down 0.03% year-over-year. Five provinces reported year-over-year increases in wholesale trade led by Saskatchewan, while Newfoundland and Labrador reported the largest decline.
Food and beverage wholesale represents the largest share of Nova Scotia's reported wholesale trade categories, followed by building materials.
Machinery and equipment saw the largest year-over-year percentage increase in wholesale trade, while building materials and food/beverage wholesale merchant sales were down.
Trends
Nova Scotia's rebound in wholesale trade in January followed a sharp decline in December. Through much of 2025, Nova Scotia's wholesale trade outpaced the national average.
Wholesale inventories as a share of sales have increased in 2025, growing to a value of 1.59 in January 2026.
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)
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