Canadian retail sales fell in December, ending a run of three straight months of increases, Statistics Canada reported Thursday. Statistics Canada said December sales at general merchandise stores were down 5.3 per cent following increases in October and November, while sales at health and personal care stores dropped 3.8 per cent, mainly due to weaker sales in Ontario. Higher sales at new car dealers — up 2.9 per cent — more than offset a decline of 1.3 per cent in sales at used car dealers. Factoring out motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales decreased by 1.8 per cent in December following increases in October and November. "It seems that Canadians were once again stingy this past holiday season, as December retail sales volumes fell for a third straight year," TD senior economist Brian DePratto wrote in a commentary.

Source: CBC News February 22, 2018 14:01 UTC