Ottawa, Ontario, July 22-—Retail sales in Canada were off 1.3 percent in May, according to Statistics Canada. The drop was the result, to a great extent, of weak automobile sales.
Analysts had forecast a drop of only 0.3 percent during the month.
Auto sales fell 3.5 percent in May after rising 3.2 percent in April.
Excluding sales by dealers of new, used and recreational vehicles and auto parts, which account for about one-quarter of the retail industry, retail sales fell by only 0.4 percent in May.
