Variant of NAICS 1997 - Labour Force Survey (LFS) Industries

7 - Services-Producing Sector

8 - Trade

41 - Wholesale Trade

This sector comprises establishments primarily engaged in wholesaling merchandise and providing related logistics, marketing and support services. The wholesaling process is generally an intermediate step in the distribution of merchandise; many wholesalers are therefore organized to sell merchandise in large quantities to retailers, and business and institutional clients. However, some wholesalers, in particular those that supply non-consumer capital goods, sell merchandise in single units to final users.

This sector recognizes two main types of wholesalers, that is, wholesale merchants and wholesale agents and brokers.

Wholesale Merchants

Wholesale merchants buy and sell merchandise on their own account, that is, they take title to the goods they sell. They generally operate from warehouse or office locations and they may ship from their own inventory or arrange for the shipment of goods directly from the supplier to the client. In addition to the sale of goods, they may provide, or arrange for the provision of, logistics, marketing and support services, such as packaging and labelling, inventory management, shipping, handling of warranty claims, in-store or co-op promotions, and product training. Dealers of machinery and equipment, such as dealers of farm machinery and heavy-duty trucks, also fall within this category.

Wholesale merchants are known by a variety of trade designations depending on their relationship with suppliers or customers, or the distribution method they employ. Examples include wholesale merchants, wholesale distributors, drop shippers, rack-jobbers, import-export merchants, buying groups, dealer-owned cooperatives and banner wholesalers.

The first eight subsectors of wholesale trade comprise wholesale merchants. The grouping of these establishments into industry groups and industries is based on the merchandise line or lines supplied by the wholesaler.

Wholesale Agents and Brokers

Wholesale agents and brokers buy and sell merchandise owned by others on a fee or commission basis. They do not take title to the goods they buy or sell, and they generally operate at or from an office location.

Wholesale agents and brokers are known by a variety of trade designations including import-export agents, wholesale commission agents, wholesale brokers, and manufacturer's representatives and agents.

416 - Building Material and Supplies Wholesaler-Distributors

This subsector comprises establishments primarily engaged in wholesaling electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning equipment and supplies, metal and metal products, lumber, millwork, hardware and other building supplies.

4162 - Metal Service Centres

This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in wholesaling metals and metal products. These establishments may also cut, bend or otherwise prepare metals to customer specification.

41621 - Metal Service Centres

This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in wholesaling metals and metal products. These establishments may also cut, bend or otherwise prepare metals to customer specification.

• Exclusion(s):

  Establishments primarily engaged in:

  • wholesaling electrical wire (See 41611 Electrical Wiring and Construction Supplies Wholesaler-Distributors)
  • wholesaling metal ores and concentrates (See 41892 Mineral, Ore and Precious Metal Wholesaler-Distributors)

416210 - Metal Service Centres

This Canadian industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in wholesaling metals and metal products. These establishments may also cut, bend or otherwise prepare metals to customer specification.

• Example Activities:

  • Aluminum and aluminum alloy, primary forms and basic shapes, wholesale
  • Aluminum bars, rods, ingots, sheets, pipes, plates, wholesale
  • Angles, rods and bars, steel, wholesale
  • Anode metal, wholesale
  • Architectural metal work, wholesale
  • Bar joists, fabricated, wholesale
  • Bars, rods and angles, steel, wholesale
  • Blooms, billets, slabs and other semi-finished shapes, wholesale
  • Cable and rope, wire, steel, wholesale
  • Carbon and alloy steels, primary forms and structural shapes, wholesale
  • Castings and forgings, iron and steel products, wholesale
  • Concrete forms, steel, wholesale
  • Concrete reinforcing bars, wholesale
  • Copper and copper alloy, primary forms and basic shapes, wholesale
  • Copper architectural and structural metal products, wholesale
  • Copper sheets, plates, bars, rods, pipes, wholesale
  • Ferroalloys, wholesale
  • Forgings and castings, iron and steel products, wholesale
  • Grinding balls, cast or forged, wholesale
  • Ingots (except precious), wholesale
  • Ingots, non-ferrous metals, wholesale
  • Iron and steel in primary forms and shapes, wholesale
  • Iron and steel wire, wholesale
  • Iron and steel, rough cast, wholesale
  • Lead and zinc fabricated basic products, wholesale
  • Lead primary forms and basic shapes, wholesale
  • Mercury, wholesale
  • Nickel and nickel alloy, primary forms and basic shapes, wholesale
  • Ornamental iron and steel products, wholesale
  • Pig and other primary iron, wholesale
  • Pipes and tubes, metal, wholesale
  • Plate, sheet and strip, steel, wholesale
  • Primary forms and basic shapes, non-ferrous metal, wholesale
  • Rails and accessories, metal, wholesale
  • Reinforcement mesh, wire, wholesale
  • Reinforcing rods, steel, wholesale
  • Rods, bars and angles, steel, wholesale
  • Rope, wire (except insulated), wholesale
  • Sheet piling, steel, wholesale
  • Sheets, galvanized or other coated, wholesale
  • Sheets, metal, wholesale
  • Springs, general purpose, steel, wholesale
  • Stainless steel fabricated products, wholesale
  • Steel strapping, wholesale
  • Steel tubing, wholesale
  • Structural shapes and plates, wholesale
  • Terneplate, wholesale
  • Tin plate, wholesale
  • Tubing, metal, wholesale
  • Wire rods, wholesale
  • Wire screening, wholesale