Retail sales down 0.7% in September as new car sales fell

Statistics Canada says retail sales were down 0.7 per cent to $69.8-billion in September as sales of new cars fell.

The agency says sales dropped in six of nine subsectors, with motor vehicle and parts dealers down 2.9 per cent and new car dealers down 3.6 per cent.

Core retail sales — which exclude gasoline stations and fuel vendors, along with motor vehicle and parts dealers — were relatively unchanged in September.