Last Updated: Thursday, April 29, 2021 17:11 New figures from Statistics Canada show that Canadian retail sales climbed in February–to $55.1 billion, a rise of 4.8 per cent. The agency also said its preliminary estimate for March suggests a gain of 2.3 per cent for the month, but cautioned the figure could be revised. TD Bank economist Ksenia Bushmeneva said the February rebound–and the likely one in March–was due to an easing of restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the pandemic. Boosting core retail sales in February was a 6.1 per cent gain at general merchandise stores and a 23.7 per cent jump at clothing and clothing accessories stores, the first gain for the category since September 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)