| Behind The Store Front
Prepared for the Retail Council of Canada in partnership with Industry Canada By Jacobson Consulting Inc.
Data Sources and Notes |
The data in this report are generally based in sectoral definitions associated with the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). This classification allocates establishments or enterprises to retail on the basis of "how they do it" rather than "who they do it for." There were many complex changes to the definition of the retail with the implementation of this classification. For example, computer stores moved to retail from wholesale. Fuel sales for home use moved to non-store retailing. Some purely service activities moved to personal or business service categories out of retail. Establishments primarily tied to repair services (furniture, appliances, electronics etc.), motor vehicle towing and one-hour photo finishing shops have moved to the personal service sector. This resulted in a shift of more than 40,000 establishments out of retail. Other changes included the move of retail bakeries, tailors and dressmakers to manufacturing. Pawnshops moved to the financial services sector.