Canadian wholesale trade up in December

Canada's wholesale industries ended 2011 with a 0.9 percent monthly increase to $49.6 billion, Statistics Canada reported from Ottawa Tuesday. December's gain was the seventh in the last four months of the year and was led by a 3.4 percent increase in wholesale trade within the motor vehicle and parts sector, the agency said. "Sales in this sector reached $8.4 billion in December, their highest level since March 2007," StatsCan said. Wholesale sales of food, beverage and tobacco products recorded a 1.8 percent monthly increase. "On an annual basis, wholesale sales rose to $577 billion in 2011, up 7.4 percent from the previous year," the report said. "This increase is slightly smaller than that seen in 2010, which was the strongest annual growth since 1997." All seven sectors in wholesale registered increases in 2011, led by the machinery, equipment and supplies sector.