Canada’s core retail sales rose 0.8% month-over-month in January 2026, marking a clear rebound after flat activity at the end of last year. The latest figures, updated on 20 March 2026, show a notable improvement from December 2025, when core retail sales growth stood at 0.0% compared with the prior month.
The month-over-month comparison highlights that consumers returned to spending at the start of the year after a pause in momentum in December. While December’s reading indicated no change versus November, January’s 0.8% gain suggests renewed strength in underlying retail demand once the holiday period passed.
For analysts and investors, the move from stagnation to solid growth in core retail sales—excluding more volatile components—may signal improving consumer confidence and a firmer domestic demand backdrop as 2026 gets underway. The pickup in January will likely feed into expectations for Canada’s near-term economic trajectory and monetary policy considerations.
