Wholesalers sold $51.2 billion worth of goods and services in April, up 1.2% from March and 4.5% higher than in April 2013. Excluding the automotive sector, wholesale sales were up 5.4% from April 2013.
In terms of volume, wholesale sales were up 1.2% in April from March.
Annualized wholesale sales grew in eight provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador (+20.0%) led the way, followed by Prince Edward Island (+14.2%) and Manitoba (+12.1%). Decreases occurred in New Brunswick (-1.7%) and Saskatchewan (-4.5%). Quebec’s wholesale sales were up 0.3% from April 2013 while Ontario’s annualized increase was 4.7%.
Wholesalers’ inventories in April increased 0.7% from March to $64.7 billion and were up 4.7% from April 2013. The largest monthly increases, in dollar terms, was accounted for by the machinery, equipment and supplies industry (+1.3%), the fourth consecutive monthly increase for that sector. Inventories in the building materials and supplies industry grew 0.8% in April from March, their second straight monthly gain. The inventory-to-sales ratio was 1.26 in April, down from 1.27 in March. The ratio is a measure of the time in months required to exhaust inventories if sales were to remain at their current level.
Wholesale sales of building materials and supplies were $7.4 billion in April, up 3.6% from March, the third consecutive monthly gain, and a 7.8% increase from April 2013. The $7.4 billion in total sales was the highest on record for the industry. Inventories were valued at $11.7 billion, up 0.8% from March and 1.7% higher than in April 2013.
Wholesale sales of electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning equipment and supplies stood at $2.3 billion in April, up 4.4% from March and 8.2% higher than in April 2013. Inventories were valued at $3.1 billion, up 3.0% from March and 2.3% higher than in April 2013.
Wholesale sales of metal service centres were $1.6 billion in April, up 0.8% from March and an increase of 11.1% from April 2013. Inventories were valued at $3.3 billion, up 3.0% from March but a 2.1% decrease from April 2013.
Wholesale sales of lumber, millwork, hardware and other building supplies were $3.5 billion in April, up 4.4% from March and a 6.1% increase from April 2013. Exports of forestry products and of building and packaging materials rose significantly in April. Inventories were valued at $5.2 billion, down 1.7% from March but a 3.8% increase over April 2013.