Albertans are spending again, in numbers not seen since before the recession.
“Retail sales in Alberta have now surpassed the level prior to the downturn in world oil prices in late 2014,” Statistics Canada said Tuesday as it released the latest spending data.
June sales grew by one per cent over May, on a seasonally adjusted basis, marking the 10th monthly increase in the past 11 months.
Unadjusted sales figures for May and June, meanwhile, were the highest on record for the province, clocking in each month above $7.4 billion.
The growth was led by increased spending on motor vehicles and parts, which totalled $2.39 billion in June, up 24.1 per cent from a year before.
Spending on electronics and appliances, building and garden supplies, health and personal care and general retail goods all grew by more than 10 per cent from June 2016, according to Statistics Canada.
The only retail category that didn’t see an increase was furniture and home furnishings, in which sales were down 3.6 per cent from the same month last year.