Canadian wholesale sales rose 1.1% month over month to C$62.8 billion in March following a 0.8% decline in February, Statistics Canada said.
The increase came as sales in four of the seven subsectors grew, led by motor vehicles and parts with a gain of 5.0% to C$11.8 billion.
Sales in the building material and supplies subsector grew 3.4% to a record high C$9.2 billion.
The personal and household goods subsector rose 0.6% to C$8.8 billion, driven by gains in the pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies industry.
Sales in the food, beverage and tobacco subsector fell for the second straight month and were down 1.4% to C$11.9 billion in March.
Total sales in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector slipped 0.5% to C$12.6 billion.
Wholesale inventories fell 0.1% in March to C$82.6 billion.
For the three months that ended in March, wholesale sales rose 0.5% in current dollars and 0.4% in constant dollars compared with the last quarter of 2017.
