Canadian Industry Statistics (CIS)
Wholesale Revenues and Expenses
Wholesale Trade (NAICS 41)
Under this topic you will find information on revenues, expenses and profits
in Canada’s Wholesale Trade (NAICS 41) sector. This
information can be used as a benchmark against the performance of your business
and can help you to identify opportunities to gain efficiencies.
This section examines the operating revenues generated by the Wholesale Trade
sector. Operating revenues are revenues that are derived from the regular
operations of a business. Revenues from non-operating sources such as interest
and dividends are excluded.
The primary source of operating revenues for the vast majority of wholesale
businesses is sales. Other sources of operating revenues can include
commissions, manufacturing sales, labour revenue, revenues from rental and
leasing, etc.
Sales represented 97.6% of total operating revenues in 2010,
while other sources of revenues accounted for 2.4%. In
2001, sales accounted for 97.5% while other sources of revenues
represented 2.5%.
Sales and Operating Revenues: 2001-2010
Wholesale Trade (NAICS 41)
Operating revenues reached $729.4 billion in 2010,
up from $689.6 billion in 2009. This was
an increase of 5.8%. Since 2001, operating revenues have
increased 4.7% per year on average.
Revenues by Type: 2001-2010
Wholesale Trade (NAICS 41)
Revenue Type |
Value in $ billions |
% of total 2010 |
CAGR* 2001-2010 |
% Change 2009-2010 |
2001 |
2010 |
|
|
Sales |
468.5 |
712.2 |
97.6% |
4.8% |
5.8% |
Other
Operating Revenues |
12.1 |
17.2 |
2.4% |
4.0% |
3.5% |
| |
Total
Operating Revenues |
480.6 |
729.4 |
100% |
4.7% |
5.8% |
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This section examines expenses incurred by the Wholesale Trade sector. The
largest expense category for most wholesale establishments is the cost of goods
sold (the purchase of inventory to be sold).
Operating expenses are charges that are produced as a result of the regular
operations of a business. Among the operating expenses, total labour
remuneration is typically the largest category. Other sources of operating
expenses can include rental and leasing expenses, advertising, depreciation,
management fees, etc. Expenses from non-operating sources such as interest
expenses are excluded.
In 2010, cost of goods sold represented 85.4% of total expenses.
Total labour remuneration accounted for 6.5% and other operating
expenses 8.0%. In 2001, cost of goods sold accounted for
85.7%, total labour remuneration for 6.6% and other
operating expenses 7.7% of total operating expenses.
Total Expenses, Cost of Goods Sold and Labour Expenses: 2001-2010
Wholesale Trade (NAICS 41)
Total expenses (cost of goods sold and operating expenses combined) reached
$700.6 billion in 2010, up from
$455.1 billion in 2001. This represented an increase of
4.9% per year on average. Between 2009 and 2010, total expenses
increased 5.1%.
Expenses by Type: 2001-2010
Wholesale Trade (NAICS 41)
Expense Type |
Value in $ billions |
% of Total
2010 |
CAGR* 2001-2010 |
% Change 2009-2010 |
2001 |
2010 |
|
|
Cost
of Goods Sold |
390.1 |
598.6 |
85.4% |
4.9% |
5.2% |
Total
Labour Remuneration |
29.8 |
45.8 |
6.5% |
4.9% |
7.4% |
Other
Operating Expenses |
35.2 |
56.2 |
8.0% |
5.4% |
3.2% |
| |
Total
Expenses |
455.1 |
700.6 |
100% |
4.9% |
5.1% |
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An estimate of the pre-tax profitability of the Wholesale Trade sector can be
obtained by subtracting total expenses from total operating revenues. While
this calculation will not match balance sheet information exactly, it does
provide a reasonable estimate.
Net Revenues: 2001-2010
Wholesale Trade (NAICS 41)
Category |
Value in $ billions |
CAGR* 2001-2010 |
% Change 2009-2010 |
2001 |
2010 |
|
|
Total
Operating Revenues |
480.6 |
729.4 |
4.7% |
5.8% |
Total
Expenses |
455.1 |
700.6 |
4.9% |
5.1% |
| |
Net
Revenues |
25.5 |
28.8 |
1.4% |
23.8% |
In 2010, the Wholesale Trade sector generated $28.8 billion in
profits, up from $25.5 billion in
2001. This represented an average annual increase of 1.4%,
with a 23.8% increase observed between 2009 and 2010.
Net Revenues: 2001-2010
Wholesale Trade (NAICS 41)
The profit margin is one way to measure profitability. It is a ratio of net
revenues to total revenues (i.e. net revenues as a percentage of total
revenues). Profit margins can vary widely between industries.
In 2010 the pre-tax profit margin in the Wholesale Trade sector was
3.9%, while in 2001 it was 5.3%.
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The data under this topic come from the Annual
Wholesale Trade Survey, which is conducted by Statistics Canada. Data are
available for the years 2001-2010.
For a number of industries, certain variables are not available or are
suppressed by Statistics Canada in order to protect business confidentiality.
In these cases, values of 0.0 will appear.