Canadian retail sales edged up 0.2% in June to $28.7 billion, after advancing 0.6% in May, Statistics Canada said today.

Higher sales at auto dealers and pharmacies offset lower sales in five other retail sectors. StatsCan said unseasonably cool weather may have dampened retail sales in the furniture, food, clothing, building supplies and general merchandise sectors.

However, if sales by dealers of new, used and recreational vehicles and auto parts, are excluded, sales actually fell by 0.5%, the first decline in six months for non-auto retailers.

Economists had forecast June sales to slip by 0.1%.

“Retailers posted a 1.3% sales gain in the second quarter of 2004 compared with the first, when sales rose 2.3%.”

Cumulative sales in the first six months of this year were 4% higher than in the same period of 2003, the agency said.

“In comparison, the sales growth in the same six-month period was 3.9% in 2003 and 6.3% in 2002.”