Annual Retail Trade Survey (RETR)
Detailed information for 2023
Status:
Active
Frequency:
Annual
Record number:
2447
This survey collects the financial and operating data needed to develop national and regional economic policies and programs.
Description
This survey collects data required to produce economic statistics for the retail trade in Canada.
Data collected from businesses are aggregated with information from other sources to produce official estimates of national and provincial economic production for this sector.
Survey estimates are made available to businesses, governments, investors, associations, and the public. The data are used to monitor industry growth, measure performance, and make comparisons to other data sources to better understand this sector.
Statistical activity
The survey is administered as part of the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP). The IBSP has been designed to integrate approximately 200 separate business surveys into a single master survey program. The IBSP aims at collecting industry and product detail at the provincial level while minimizing overlap between different survey questionnaires. The redesigned business survey questionnaires have a consistent look, structure, and content.
The integrated approach makes reporting easier for firms operating in different industries because they can provide similar information for each branch operation. This way they avoid having to respond to questionnaires that differ for each industry in terms of format, wording and even concepts. The combined results produce more coherent and accurate statistics on the economy.
Reference period: The calendar year, or the 12-month fiscal period for which the final day occurs on or between April 1st of the reference year and March 31st of the following year.
Collection period: March through September of the year after the reference period
Subjects
- Retail and wholesale
Data sources and methodology
Target population
The target population consists of all establishments classified to the codes 441 through 459 according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022 during the reference year.
The observed population consists of all establishments classified to the codes 441 through 459 according to the NAICS 2022 found on Statistics Canada Business Register as of the last day of the reference year (including establishments active for a part of the reference year).
Instrument design
The survey questionnaires comprise generic modules that have been designed to cover the retail trade sector. These modules include revenues and expenses. The questionnaires also include industry-specific modules designed to ask for financial and non-financial characteristics that pertain specifically to this industry.
In order to reduce response burden, smaller firms receive a characteristics questionnaire (shortened version) which only include the industry-specific modules. For smaller firms, revenue and expense data are extracted from administrative files.
The questionnaire was developed in consultation with potential respondents, data users and questionnaire design specialists.
Sampling
This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design.
The Business Register is a repository of information reflecting the Canadian business population and exists primarily for the purpose of supplying frames for all economic surveys in Statistics Canada. It is designed to provide a means of coordinating the coverage of business surveys and of achieving consistent classification of statistical reporting units. It also serves as a data source for the compilation of business demographic information.
The major sources of information for the Business Register are updates from the Statistics Canada survey program and from Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) Business Number account files. This CRA administrative data source allows for the creation of a universe of all business entities.
The data provided in our products reflects counts of statistical locations by industrial activity (North American Industry Classification System), geography codes, and employment size ranges.
SAMPLING UNIT
The sampling unit is the enterprise, as defined on the Business Register.
STRATIFICATION METHOD
Prior to the selection of a random sample, enterprises are classified into homogeneous groups (i.e., groups with the same North American Industry Classification System codes and same geography) based on the characteristics of their establishments. Then, each group is divided into sub-groups (i.e. small, medium or large) called strata based on the annual revenue of the enterprise.
SAMPLING AND SUB-SAMPLING
Following stratification, a sample, of a predetermined size, is allocated into each stratum, with the objective of optimizing the overall quality of the survey while respecting the available resources. The sample allocation can result in two kinds of strata: take-all strata where all units are sampled with certainty, and take-some strata where a sample of units are randomly selected.
The total sample size for this survey is approximately 5,173 enterprises.
Data sources
Data collection for this reference period: 2024-02-20 to 2024-07-23
Responding to this survey is mandatory.
Data are collected directly from survey respondents and extracted from administrative files.
Data are collected annually primarily through electronic questionnaire, while providing respondents with the option of receiving a paper questionnaire, replying by telephone interview or using other electronic filing methods. Follow-up for non-response and for data validation is conducted by telephone or fax.
View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .
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