Canadians look to have reined in their retail spending last month following six straight months of rising purchases through June. The value of retail trade in the country rose 0.6% in June from the month before to a seasonally adjusted C$74.28 billion, the equivalent of about US$53.87 billion, Statistics Canada said Friday. Yet an early tally of receipts indicates sales in July declined 0.8%, the first drop since the end of 2025. Sales growth in May was revised slightly higher to 1.1% from a prior 1% estimate.

The data agency’s survey for June showed sales were up broadly, rising in seven of the nine industry segments it tracks, led by general merchandise stores. Compared with a year earlier, sales were up 5.2%.