News Briefs

Manufacturing sales rose 3.3% to $72.1 billion in September, their highest level since February, boosted by strength in the auto and energy industries, Statistics Canada says.

The agency said Friday the increase came as sales rose in 14 of the 21 subsectors it tracks, with total sales in constant dollars up 2.7% for the month.

Bradley Saunders, North America economist at Capital Economics, noted that the rebound in September was not as positive for GDP growth as first meets the eye, since inventories of finished products and goods in process both ticked down that month.

"Nonetheless, with wholesale trade volumes up more than expected, we still see upside risks to StatCan's preliminary estimate of 0.1% month-over-month growth in September," Saunders write in a report.

Statistics Canada said the overall September manufacturing sales were lifted by a 9.2% gain in the transportation equipment subsector with motor vehicles up 11.8% and aerospace products and parts up 13%.

The agency noted the increase in motor vehicle sales, which followed a drop in August, came as some auto assembly plants in Ontario resumed full production after summer shutdowns and retooling. 

"This will help stir some confidence in a sector which has faced a string of bad news recently, with new U.S. tariffs imposed on trucks and buses and a handful of manufacturers announcing plans to shift parts of production south of the border," Saunders said.

The petroleum and coal subsector reported a gain of 5.3% due in part to higher sales of petroleum products following refinery maintenance shutdowns in August.

In a separate report, Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and oilseed and grain, rose 0.6%.

Wholesale sales, excluding those same items, in volume terms also rose 0.6% in September.

The overall increase in wholesale sales came as the food, beverage and tobacco subsector rose 1.6%, while sales in the building material and supplies subsector rose 1.9%.

Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories merchant wholesalers gained 1.6V.

Canadians increasingly turned to on-demand delivery for everyday essentials, late-night snacks and comfort-food favourites in 2025, according to new data released by Skip, the Canadian delivery network.

The company’s 2025 National Orders Report shows strong growth in retail orders alongside shifts in food and snacking habits nationwide. Skip says its fastest-growing categories this year were retail items—up more than 1,700% compared with 2024—and pet supplies, which rose more than 1,000%.

The company attributes the surge to an expanding roster of national retail partners, including Shoppers Drug Mart, Dollarama and PetSmart. The additions gave customers access to a wider range of need-it-now items, from pantry staples to over-the-counter products and pet essentials.

“In 2025, Canadians relied on Skip for it all—pantry restocks, pet supplies and, of course, comfort meals and midnight snacks,” said Melanie Fatouros-Richardson, vice-president of communications and government relations at Skip. “With more retail partners joining the network, we’re helping Canadians get what they need, when they need it.”

Food orders also reflected a mix of comfort, curiosity and social-media-driven trends. Butter chicken remained the country’s most-ordered dish for the third consecutive year, followed closely by garlic naan and California rolls. Fries and poutine rounded out the top five, underscoring Canadians’ continued preference for classic sides and familiar fare.

Canadians also proved quick to sample trending treats. Orders of Dubai-style chocolate jumped more than 2,300%year-over-year, and hot honey continued its rise as a go-to condiment, particularly on pizza.

Burgers remained the top cuisine category nationwide, with smash, double and classic styles all contributing to the trend. 

Skip reported that retail snacking and impulse-driven purchases increased across most regions, mirroring broader consumer patterns toward convenience and smaller, more frequent eating occasions.

The report also highlights the link between food delivery and major cultural moments. During the Toronto Blue Jays’ ALCS Game 7, orders rose 10% compared with two weeks earlier, reflecting what Skip describes as a growing tendency to pair big events with delivery meals.

Skip’s retail expansion marks a notable shift for the company, which has traditionally focused on restaurant delivery. The company says growing demand for convenience, value and speed is pushing customers to use delivery for a wider set of everyday needs.

“With Canadians seeking faster and more affordable ways to shop, retail integration is becoming a bigger part of the delivery landscape,” Fatouros-Richardson said.

Skip says it expects continued growth across new categories next year as more retailers join the platform and customers increasingly look to delivery as a way to save time and simplify daily errands.

Parkland Corporation expects to announce its 2023 third quarter results after markets close on Wednesday, November 1, 2023.

A conference call and webcast will then be held at 6:30 a.m. MDT (8:30 a.m. EDT) on Thursday, November 2, 2023, to discuss the results.

7-Eleven’s 7Rewards loyalty program via the 7-Eleven mobile app has undergone a redesign, incorporating upgrades made to enhance the overall customer experience both in-store and via 7NOW Delivery.

"The heart of our digital connection with the customer is through the 7-Eleven app—it's a key driver that allows us to give our customers the convenience they want anytime, anywhere," says Yaqub Baiani, vice-president of product management at 7-Eleven. "We're focused on making our customers' shopping experiences easier, quicker, and more personalized—both in and out of our stores.”

Updated features include a simplified login and registration, an improved in-app shopping and delivery experience, centralized deals and rewards, faster access to fuel loyalty and carwash, and exclusive deals and discounts more visible to loyalty 

"It was paramount that we focused our efforts towards simplifying the core technical components of the customer experience in the app – including purchasing, payment and rewards," says Ranga Mohan, vice-president of engineering at 7-Eleven. "By improving these elements we've allowed the customer to have even more of a frictionless checkout experience regardless of where they're shopping with us—in-store or at home via 7NOW Delivery."

OTTAWA — Canada is inching closer to reaching a milestone where one in every 10 passenger vehicles sold is powered by electricity.

But the federal government wants the share of electric vehicles to be twice that in just two years, and the pace of EV sales has to jump significantly for that to happen.

Statistics Canada data published this week show more than 30,000 new electric vehicles were registered in January, February and March, making up 8.6% of the total passenger vehicles added to Canadian roads.

Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association president Brian Kingston says he is concerned because that's down from the last three months of 2022, when the share of EVs among new registrations was 9.6%.

Kingston says the added cost of buying an EV and the limited availability of chargers remain barriers for many Canadians in making the switch.

But Clean Energy Canada spokesman Trevor Melanson says he thinks EV sales will show significant growth in the second quarter, noting the number of federal rebates issued for electric vehicles in April, May and June was nearly twice what it was over the winter.

MONTREAL - MTY Food Group Inc. reported a first-quarter profit of $18.4 million, up from $16.6 million a year earlier, as acquisitions helped its revenue more than double.

The restaurant franchisor said Wednesday its profit amounted to 75 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Feb. 28, up from 68 cents per diluted share a year earlier.

Revenue at MTY totalled $286.0 million for the quarter, up from $140.5 million in the same quarter last year, while system sales totalled a record $1.36 billion, up from $885.7 million.

MTY said the increase in revenue was mainly due to recent acquisitions in the United States.

"Our acquisitions of Wetzel's Pretzels and Sauce Pizza and Wine during the quarter, along with the earlier BBQ Holdings transaction, largely contributed to 69% year-over-year growth in system sales in the U.S. market,'' MTY CEO Eric Lefebvre said in a statement.

"On the Canadian side, we delivered 32% system sales growth as the business rebounded from pandemic-related restrictions in the first quarter last year.''

During a call with analysts, Lefebvre said the company is expecting continued growth this spring.

"We need patio season to start for sales to go up in some of our concepts,'' he said. "It's a slow start to spring so far.''

The recent power outage in Quebec affected several of the company's restaurants, Lefebvre said.

While some restaurants lost power and were closed for several days, others with power "crushed it during the weekend and ran out of food,'' he said.

"As far as the power outage in Quebec is concerned, a lot of our restaurants were affected, some very positively and some very negatively,'' Lefebvre added.

MTY franchises and operates restaurants under more than 85 different banners in Canada, the United States and internationally. On the convenience side, MTY operates Country Style and Mr. Sub. 

At the end of its first quarter, MTY's network had 7,128 locations in operation, including 6,895 that were franchised or under operator agreements and 233 corporate locations.

-The Canadian Press