After strong consumer spending in the previous month, retail sales slid back by 0.4% in February to $31.6 billion from $31.7 billion in January, Statistics Canada said today.

February’s retail sales decline was the first after four consecutive months of sales increases.

StatsCan said a drop in automotive sector sales was responsible for the bulk of the drop. Auto sector sales fell by 2.5% in February.

Sales of cars and trucks dipped slightly at new car dealers, causing a decrease of 3.5% in their sales from January’s figure. Gasoline sales also fell following a 6.8% jump in pump prices from the previous month.

Excluding sales by dealers of new, used and recreational vehicles and auto parts — which account for almost a quarter of the retail industry — retail sales edged up 0.3%.

Retailers in sectors that saw some strong January sales, mainly due to the redemption of gift cards and the observance of cultural and ethnic holidays in the month, saw slight declines in February.

Sales of furniture, computers and general merchandise dropped after registering increases in January, Statistics Canada said.

However, sales of home electronics, hardware and appliances were stronger in February, offsetting some of the losses in other sectors.