The value of retail sales in Newfoundland and Labrador totalled $996.9 million in March 2026, an increase of 3.4% compared with March 2025.
The largest increases in the actual value of retail sales occurred in ‘Health and personal care retailers’ (+32.2%), followed by ‘Gasoline stations and fuel vendors’ (+8.3%). The largest decline occurred in ‘Motor vehicle and parts dealers’ (-3.4%). The increase for ‘Gasoline stations and fuel vendors’ was largely due to higher prices for gasoline in March 2026 compared with March 2025.
On a year-to-date basis, retail sales in Newfoundland and Labrador were virtually unchanged in the January to March 2026 period compared with the same period of 2025.
At the national level, retail sales increased by 3.7% in March 2026 compared with March 2025 and increased by 3.2% on a year-to-date basis. In March 2026, retail sales increased in every province on a year-over-year basis, ranging from 2.4% in British Columbia to 6.8% in Alberta.
Statistics Canada’s Daily discusses retail sales on a seasonally adjusted basis. Seasonally adjusted retail sales for Newfoundland and Labrador increased by 4.5% in March 2026 compared to February 2026 and increased by 0.9% for Canada.
| Retail Sales by Subsector ($ Millions) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | ||||
| Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 | Actual Change | Percent Change | |
|
Motor vehicle and parts dealers1
|
301.8 | 291.5 | -10.3 | -3.4 |
| Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers | 58.2 | 55.3 | -2.9 | -5.0 |
| Food and beverage retailers | 176.5 | 175.4 | -1.1 | -0.6 |
| Furniture, home furnishings, electronics and appliances retailers | 21.7 | 23.2 | 1.5 | 6.7 |
| General merchandise retailers | 144.3 | 151.6 | 7.3 | 5.1 |
| Health and personal care retailers | 88.2 | 116.6 | 28.4 | 32.2 |
| Gasoline stations and fuel vendors | 117.9 | 127.8 | 9.8 | 8.3 |
| Clothing, clothing accessories, shoes, jewelry, luggage and leather goods retailers | 22.2 | 22.0 | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers | 33.0 | 33.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
|
Total Retail Trade Sales
|
963.9 | 996.9 | 33.0 | 3.4 |
| Note: The total and change may not sum due to independent rounding.
1 The motor vehicle figure displayed here includes some used car sales, as well as parts and service labour, and may be higher than those appearing in the New Motor Vehicle Sales Bulletin. Source: Statistics Canada. Table 20-10-0056-01. |
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Statistical Reference: For the latest in retail trade statistics visit the Newfoundland & Labrador Statistics Agency site and check the release dates on Statistics Canada site.