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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)