Liquor store strike coincides with sluggish month for alcohol sales in Canada

FILE: Dressed as a patriotic pirate, Hobes Hernandez Osorto, holds a Canadian flag and a can of Molson Canadian beer in Vancouver. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Retailers recorded a 10.6 per cent drop in alcohol sales in October, according to Statistics Canada.

The department revealed the results in its retail sales report published Friday morning. It noted the drop coincided with a labour disruption in British Columbia, where more than 17,000 BCGEU public service workers walked out of workplaces – including alcohol retailers – in early October.

Food and beverage retailers saw more modest declines. Supermarkets and other grocery vendors logged a 0.7 per cent decline in sales.

The same drop (0.7 per cent) was recorded at clothing, jewelry, luggage and leather goods retailers. Health and personal care sellers saw a 0.3 per cent drop.

Retail sales decreased in four provinces in October. The largest, in dollar terms, was in Quebec, which saw a 0.9 per cent decline. In the census metropolitan area of Montreal, retail sales were also down 0.9 per cent overall.

Autos bounce back

After a decline of 2.9 per cent in September, motor and auto parts dealers saw modest increases in sales. New vehicle dealers led the increase with a 0.5 per cent bump, while other vehicle dealers saw a higher uptake (5.2 per cent).

On the other hand, parts, accessories and tire vendors saw declines (-2.1 per cent). Gas station and fuel sellers logged a 0.8 per cent decrease. In volume terms, fuel sales fell 0.9 per cent.