Wholesale business climbs in Canada

Wholesale trade sales posted solid gains in Canada in May, the data office Statistics Canada reported Thursday. Wholesale business rose 2.3 percent to $50.3 billion in the month, the largest rate of growth since early 2011, the office said. StatsCan said sales rose "in all subsectors in May." More than 70 percent of the overall growth came from the categories of miscellaneous and food, beverage and tobacco. Further, StatsCan said, 90 percent of the gains in food, beverage and tobacco came from a 4.2 percent gain in wholesale food sales. Miscellaneous wholesale trade climbed 6.7 percent with a 19.6 percent push in agricultural supplies, which increased for the sixth consecutive month. The automobile sector also saw gains with a 1.4 percent rise overall helped by a 2.9 percent gain in new motor vehicle parts and accessories.