Paul Martin's Business Update - October 2nd, 2014

After a cold June kept us indoors, the warm weather in July was reason enough for a trip to a bar or to treat ourselves to a dinner at a restaurant.

Tracking activity in bars and restaurants is one of those metrics that helps us monitor the pulse of consumers. Are they spending or sitting on their wallets? These figures, along with retail sales volumes and purchases of new vehicles, are a great indicator of the mood of the public and their optimism. If they’re cranky about their prospects they'll sit on their wallets….if they’re feeling good about the months ahead they’ll treat themselves.

July, it turns out, was a treat yourself month. For the first time sales at bars, taverns and food service providers including restaurants and caterers, cracked the $150 million mark for a single month. That was up from June – an increase of more than a full percentage point – and one of the better performances in the country, standing are roughly twice the growth we saw across the nation in the same period.

http://martincharlton.ca/?p=869 #wetellyourstories