Canadian retail sales fell 0.3% in June compared to May to C$65.73 billion ($48.37 billion), led by a decline in sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers, Statistics Canada said on Friday. The agency said in a flash estimate that sales were likely to increase by 0.6% in July.
In June, sales decreased in four of the nine subsectors, representing 50.4% of retail trade. In terms of volume, retail sales increased by 0.1%.
On the other hand, Canadian factory sales were likely to increase by 1.1% in July compared to June, largely driven by increased sales in the petroleum and coal products subsector and the chemical subsector, according to Statistics Canada's flash estimate on Friday.
This estimate is calculated based on a weighted response rate of 68.1%. The weighted average response rate for the survey in the previous 12 months was 94.4%.
The US dollar eased against the Canadian dollar by 0.24% to trade at 1.3582 after retail sales data was released.
