Annual Non-store Retail Survey (RTNS)

Summary of changes

Activity on this program started: 1999 reference year

Reference period of change - 2017

Target population - Beginning with reference year 2017, the industry classification is based on North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2017.

Reference period of change - 2014

Reference years 2012 and 2013 have been revised to reflect the important improvements Statistics Canada made to its methods and processes used to compile its annual economic statistics.

Reference period of change - 2013

Statistics Canada launched the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP) to provide a more efficient model for producing economic statistics. The main objective was to enhance the economic statistics program so that it remains as robust and flexible as possible while reducing the burden on business respondents. The program changes ensure that Statistics Canada will continue to produce a consistent and coherent set of economic statistics. As well, data users and researchers can more easily combine economic data with information from other sources to undertake their analyses. These changes took effect when data for the reference year 2013 were released.

Target population - Beginning with reference year 2013, the data are classified by industry based on North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 2012).

Reference period of change - 2008

Target population - Starting 2008 reference year, NAICS 2007 is used.

Reference period of change - 2000

Target population - Starting with reference year 2000, the survey population includes fuel dealers.

Reference period of change - 1999

In the past, Statistics Canada estimated non-store retail activity on an annual basis using two separate surveys:
The Survey of Automatic Vending Machine Operators (Survey #2404), last conducted for the 1996 reference year; and The Survey of Direct Selling in Canada (Survey #2405), last conducted for the 1997 reference year.

These surveys were driven by the previous 1980 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. They were activity based, meaning that they included any business with direct sales or vending machine sales exceeding certain thresholds, and collected only the data for those non-store sales.

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