Home Breadcrumb caret Economy Breadcrumb caret Economic Indicators Grocery sales come down slightly from March spike Toilet paper sales were only 81% higher than the same time last year By The Canadian Press | May 11, 2020 | Last updated on May 11, 2020 1 min read © Steve Debenport / iStockphoto Statistics Canada says grocery store sales continued to be high in the week ending April 11, up 19% year over year, but they were below the spike seen in mid-March when initial Covid-19 emergency measures were announced. The agency says grocery store sales had been up 40% in the week ended March 21, compared with the same week last year. The data comes from a special Statistics Canada report on how shopping patterns have changed since Canada stepped up its Covid-19 public health campaigns. Among other things, the report says bathroom tissue sales moderated, but were still 81% higher in the week of April 11 than they were last year. Sales of hand sanitizer were up 345% during the week of April 11, sales of masks and gloves were up 114% and sales of soap were up 68%, compared with a year earlier. But Statistics Canada says sales of cold remedies were down 11% year over year and sales of infant formula were 15% lower than the same week of 2019. The Canadian Press The Canadian Press is a national news agency headquartered in Toronto and founded in 1917. Save Stroke 1 Print Group 8 Share LI logo