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British Columbians came out spending in January, giving B.C. one of the highest increases in retail sales out of any province in the country, according to the latest Statistics Canada report. Total retail spending rose 3.1% to $4.38 billion in January from $4.25 billion in December. The gains recovered about 45% of the sales decline in December. The percentage increase is more than Ontario's 3% boost in retail sales and Saskatchewan's 2.9% increase. Sales increased in every province except Manitoba, where they fell 0.6%. Year-over-year, retail sales in B.C. are still down 8.5% due to a year-over-year 20.1% decline in auto sales, a 14.3% decline in home furnishing sales, a 10.7% decline in computer and software sales and a 19% decline in gas sales across the country. Of the 23 different retail categories StatsCan measures, only seven declined in January most of them in renovation and home furniture categories. Auto sales saw one of the biggest sales spikes in January. They increased 6.4% to $5.3 billion from December's $4.9 billion. The number of new vehicles sold rose 5.5% to 119,231 units in January, however, the average number of sales is still significantly lower than the three-year average of 140,000 units per month. Other sectors showing significant increases included computer and software stores, which increased a 3.7%, clothing stores (3%) and supermarkets (2.2%)
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