OTTAWA -- Statistics Canada says grocery store sales continued to be high in the week ending April 11, up 19 per cent year-over-year, but they were below the spike seen in mid-March when initial COVID-19 emergency measures were announced.
The agency says grocery store sales had been up 40 per cent in the week ended March 21, compared with the same week last year.
The data comes from a special Statistics Canada report on how shopping patterns have changed since Canada stepped up its COVID-19 public health campaigns.
Among other things, the report says bathroom tissue sales moderated, but were still 81 per cent higher in the week of April 11 than they were last year.
Sales of hand sanitizer were up 345 per cent during the week of April 11, sales of masks and gloves were up 114 per cent and sales of soap were up 68 per cent, compared with a year earlier.
But Statistics Canada says sales of cold remedies were down 11 per cent year-over-year and sales of infant formula were 15 per cent lower than the same week of 2019.
