B.C. retailers posted a stronger start to the fourth quarter with sales up 0.9 per cent to reach $9.1 billion in October. This added to September’s 0.9-per-cent gain and marked the highest monthly sales seen in all of 2024. Recent gains narrowed the year-to-date deficit to 0.1 per cent. Sales growth in the province outpaced the national monthly October increase of 0.6 per cent, but lagged the one-per-cent year-to-date increase. Declining interest rates, higher employment and population growth are supporting consumer spending, although real per-capita spending has declined.

Unadjusted sales were up 4.2 per cent,........

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