OTTAWA (CP) -- Wholesale sales fell 0.6 percent to $41 billion in February as sales of machinery and equipment and "other products" dropped.
The volume of wholesale sales was flat.
Statistics Canada reports the decline in sales reflected both lower export demand for Canadian goods and weaker sales in Canada.
Four of seven sectors, accounting for over two-thirds of total wholesale sales, posted declines in February.
The machinery and electronic equipment sector declined 1.6 per cent, largely as a result of lower sales in the machinery and equipment trade group (down 5.2).
Sales in the "other products" sector fell four percent to $5.3 billion in February, offsetting a four percent rise in January.
There were also declines in the food-and-beverages sector (down one per cent) and the building materials sector (down 0.9).
The largest increase came in the automotive products sector, which rose four percent in February after a 21.8 percent decline in January.
