Canadian retail sales advanced for the third consecutive month in July, Statistics Canada said. July sales rose 0.5% to a record $28.9 billion, StatsCan said.

Consumers pushed sales up strongly for furniture, home furnishings and electronics, general merchandise, building and outdoor home supplies and clothing and accessories.

Smaller sales advances occurred in food and beverages, sporting goods, office supplies, hobby, music and books.

Sales were down in pharmacies and personal care stores in July, following a strong 1.9% jump in June.

Sales were also off in the automotive sector by 0.3%, despite a 1.4% sales gain by new car dealers in July.

“Retailers reported sales increases in seven provinces in July, with those in British Columbia enjoying the strongest growth,” the agency said.

Consumer spending was also strong in New Brunswick and Alberta.

Meanwhile, confidence in the economy was reflected in a Decima-Investors Group survey released today.

It found that consumer confidence stood at 87.6, up 8.1 points since May and had returned to levels recorded in February.

Confidence was up in all regions, with the largest increases in Quebec and Alberta.

“Many of the uncertainties from earlier in the year have been largely resolved; with the Canadian election behind us, the ongoing debate about a possible interest rate hike now over, and gasoline prices moving off their highs,” Bill Chornous of Investors said in a release.