
In BC, seasonally-adjusted retail sales were up by 1.2% at $7.4 billion in February. Looking at the non-seasonally adjusted change shows a different picture. Retail sales in February were down by 0.1% from the previous month in half of the sub-sectors, notably at general merchandise stores (-11%), clothing (-5%) and electronics/appliances (-5%). Meanwhile, Vancouver reported a monthly increase of 1.2% in retail sales. Compared to the same time last year, BC retail sales were up by 6.4% in February.
Given that the majority of physical distancing measures and store closures were not implemented until mid-March, the impact of COVID-19 on retail sales will be more apparent in next month's data release. We can expect a steep drop in dining and entertainment, accommodations and at gas stations, while increases will likely be reported at grocery stores and in e-commerce. Compared to the same time last year, e-commerce reported an increase of 18% in February, accounting for about 3.6% of total retail sales in Canada (excludes Canadians purchasing from foreign e-commerce retailers). In March, many Canadian retailers reported opening or expanded their e-commerce platforms.

