(Adds details from report)
OTTAWA, March 18 (Reuters) - Canadian retail sales rose far
more than expected in January, boosted by motor vehicle
purchases and a rebound in a number of sectors that slumped at
the end of last year, data from Statistics Canada showed on
Friday.
Sales rose 2.1 percent, topping analysts' expectations for a
gain of 0.6 percent. Excluding the auto sector, sales were up
1.2 percent, while overall volumes gained 2.1 percent.
Motor vehicle and parts dealers led the advance with a 4.8
percent increase, the sector's third gain in four months, as
sales at new car dealers rose.
Consumers cut back their spending in December in the midst
of unseasonably warm weather, but five sectors bounced back in
January from lower end-of-year sales. Sales at general
merchandise stores jumped 4.9 percent, while clothing purchases
rose 1.2 percent.
Spending was up in eight of Canada's 10 provinces, including
Ontario and Quebec. But sales in oil-sensitive Alberta slipped
0.2 percent, the fourth decrease in five months, as higher new
car sales were offset by lower sales at gasoline stations.
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Graphic - Canada economic dashboard http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/15/sc-canada/index.html
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