Canadian Border Sales Show Slight Decrease

(Andrew Pentol — DFNI Online)

Year-on-year sales at Canadian border stores registered a small decrease in the month of August, with sales falling in the Ontario and Prairies regions

Canada’s border store retailers recorded a slight decrease in trading results during August 2008, according to the Canadian Border Services Agency. Year-on-year sales decreased by 1.4% to C$19.1m ($15.6m) and regional sales decreases were also registered at Ontario and Prairies provinces.

The Frontier Duty Free Association (FDFA), which represents Canadian border store operators, attributed the decrease in sales to congestion at land border crossings with the US as a result of tighter security checks, confusion over identification requirements, high petrol prices, the effects of the global economic downturn in the US and the decline of traveller numbers from the US to Canada. Read more here.