By The Canadian Press

B.C. expects strong 2017 after leading the country in retail sales growth

Dec 28, 2016 | 1:27 PM

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government predicts 2017 will be another strong year for retail sales in the province.

A news release from the province says new figures from Statistics Canada point to a 6.6 per cent increase in year-to-date retail sales, compared with 2015.

The province says seasonally adjusted, year-to-date retail sales to October hit $62.2 billion, an increase of $3.9 billion compared with the year earlier. 

Those figures put B.C. at the head of the pack for retail sales growth over the first 10 months of 2015, well ahead of the national average of 3.8 per cent.

Provincial officials also point to Conference Board of Canada forecasts showing retail sales in B.C. will jump 3.9 per cent in 2017, ahead of the 2.7 per cent increase expected across the country.

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The Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training says 10 per cent of small businesses in B.C., are in the retail and wholesale trade sector, and the industry accounts for more than one-tenth of all jobs across the province.