Retail, an important economic sector for Quebec

With its weight of over $ 23 billion (2012 data), retail represents 6.3% of Quebec’s GDP. It’s almost as much as construction and far more important than mining. As with most sectors of the economy that suffered losses, GDP was reduced by 1.4% in 2020. Retail sales suffered a noticeable deficit during the first wave of the pandemic, but in total they returned to the pre-pandemic level at the end of 2020.

L’évolution des ventes dans le secteur du commerce de détail au Québec, de janvier à décembre 2020

Sales growth in the retail sector in Quebec, from January to December 2020

Source : Statistics Canada. Table 20-10-0008-02 Retail trade sales by industry (x 1,000), 2020

There are more than 33,000 retail establishments spread across all regions of Quebec.

schéma Répartition régionale des établissements du secteur du commerce de détail

Regional distribution of establishments in the retail sector

The retail sector in Quebec is mainly made up of SMEs. More than 50% of companies in this sector have less than ten (10) employees.

Nombre d’entreprises du secteur du commerce de détail, Québec, 2020

Number of businesses in the retail sector, Quebec, 2020

Source : Statistics Canada, Table 33-10-0267-01, Canadian Business Counts, with employees, June 2020

There are 483,530 employees in the retail sector, 291,440 excluding the automotive and food industries.

(source : Détail Québec – in french)

Schéma de répartition régionale de la main-d’oeuvre dans le secteur du commerce de détail

Regional distribution of the workforce in the retail sector