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February 19, 2021RETAIL TRADE, DECEMBER AND ANNUAL 2020 MONTH OVER MONTH (seasonally adjusted, Dec 2020 vs Nov 2020)
Retail Trade in Nova Scotia declined 3.0% to $1,419.1 million in December 2020.
Nationally, retail trade was down 3.4% to $53.4 billion in December, posting the largest decline since April 2020. Sales were down in nine out of 11 subsectors which represented 83.6% of total retail sales. Statistics Canada published an advance estimate of retail sales which suggests a further decline of 3.3% in January 2021. The official data for January 2021 will be published on March 19, 2021.
Compared to the previous month, retail trade was down in all provinces with Newfoundland and Labrador reporting the largest decline (-9.6%). Quebec posted the lowest decline at -0.3%.
YEAR OVER YEAR (seasonally adjusted, Dec 2020 vs Dec 2019)
In Nova Scotia, retail trade increased 4.8% year-over-year in December while nationally, retail trade was up 3.3%.
Quebec (+10.8%) posted the largest annual gain followed by British Columbia (+8.7%). Ontario (-3.1%) and Manitoba (-2.8%) were the only provinces reporting year-over-year declines in December.
ANNUAL (seasonally adjusted, 2020 vs 2019)
Nova Scotia retail trade declined 2.0% in 2020.
Retail trade in Canada declined 1.4% to $606 billion in 2020, posting the largest annual decline since 2009 due to the impacts of COVID-19. Containment measures introduced to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 changed both consumer’s shopping habits and retailers’ business practices. The temporary closure of non-essential businesses during April and March combined with social distancing measures also impacted the way consumers shopped and the goods they bought.
On an annual basis, retail trade declined in five provinces with Ontario (-3.4%) and Alberta (-2.5%) posting the largest declines across provinces in 2020. British Columbia (+2.3%) and Prince Edward Island (+1.5%) recorded the largest annual gains in 2020.
NOVA SCOTIA SECTORS
ANNUAL (Unadjusted 2020 vs 2019)
Compared to the previous year, retail sales in Nova Scotia were up in the following sectors:
- Electronics increased 6.6% or $11.4 million
- Building material increased 13.2% or $155.6 million
- Food & beverage increased 7.8% or $278.2 million
- Health increased 1.2% or $14.7 million
- General merchandise increased 9.9% or $194.9 million
- Miscellaneous stores increased 12.0% or $52.9 million
Retail sales declined in the following sectors in 2020:
- Motor vehicle declines 11.6% or $512.0 million
- Furniture declined 3.4% or $14.3 million
- Gas stations declined 15.9% or $317.8 million
- Clothing declined 26.3% or $157.6 million
- Sporting & hobbies declined 8.0% or $22.6 million
TRENDS (Jan 2013 to Dec 2020)
Canada and Nova Scotia (2014 to 2020)
Nova Scotia's retail sales declined sharply from February 2020 to April 2020. Retail sales rebounded over the next seven months. With the second round of containment measures in place over November to January 2021, retail sales declined in December. However, compared to February 2020, Nova Scotia’s December retail sales were 2.7% above their pre-pandemic levels.
Nationally, retail sales also rebounded after the sharp decline in February and March. Retail sales in December were 2.1% above the pre-pandemic levels seen in February 2020.
Across Canada, retail sales rebounded over their pre-pandemic levels in most provinces led by Quebec with a 8.9% increase above its February 2020 level. Ontario and Manitoba are the only two provinces with retail sales below their pre-pandemic levels.
E-COMMERCE
Canada (unadjusted, December 2020)
Canada’s retail e-commerce sales increased 10.1% to $4,7 million in December 2020, representing a 8.2% share of total retail trade.
Unadjusted retail e-commerce sales increased 69.3% over December 2019.
In 2020, unadjusted retail e-commerce in Canada increased 70.5% to $37.5 billion when compared to the previous year. This represented 6.2% share of total retail trade.
CANNABIS STORES
In Nova Scotia, unadjusted retail cannabis store sales increased 21.9% to $80.8 million in 2020. This represents a 3% share of the Canadian market.
In Canada, unadjusted retail cannabis store sales increased 120.5% to $2.6 billion in 2020.
TABLES & SELECTED FIELDS
Statistics Canada Citations
Table 20-10-0072-01 Retail E-commerce sales, unadjusted (x 1,000)
Table 20-10-0008-01 Retail trade sales by province and territory (x 1,000)
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