Canadian Industrial Profile: Furniture and Appliance Stores—Autumn 2017

Imports—The weakness in the Canadian dollar has hurt retailers that sell imported goods, though a recovering loonie in the medium term will ease costs for furniture and appliance stores.

Consumer Confidence—Canadian consumer confidence has surged throughout the year, prompting households to increase purchases on big-ticket items like furniture. This helped to drive industry sales 8 per cent higher through the first half of 2017 compared with the same period last year.

Household Debt—Record levels of consumer debt will weigh on household budgets in the coming years, encouraging consumers to spend more cautiously on furniture and appliances.