On a seasonally adjusted basis, commercial foodservice sales in Canada slipped for the fourth consecutive month in January 2021 to $4.1 billion. On a year-over-year basis, sales tumbled by 35.9% compared to January 2020. This marks the largest monthly sales decline since May 2020.
Nearly all segments reported a dramatic drop in sales in January. Sales at drinking places tumbled by nearly 70% with steep declines in Quebec (-90.4%) and Ontario (-82.7%). Caterers continued to struggle with revenues falling by 57%. Full-service restaurant sales plummeted by 53.2% as an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases resulted in sharply lower sales in Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta.
Although quick-service restaurants posted a 12.5% decline in sales at the national level in January, sales were actually higher on a year-over-year basis in parts of Atlantic Canada and Manitoba.
While total commercial foodservice sales fell across the country, commercial foodservice sales in Newfoundland and Labrador rose by 3.0% in January. This is because sales declined by 10.4% in January 2020 as a severe winter blizzard shut down St. John’s for eight days, as well as other parts of the province.
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