OTTAWA — Canadian mattress sales bounced back sharply in the first half with a 16% increase over the same period in 2009 while furniture sales gained a more modest 4.2%, according to the latest Retail Commodity Survey from Statistics Canada.
While the figures indicated that the categories have begun fighting their way back from their recessionary lows, sales this year were still below where they were two years ago.

Mattresses sales for the January-June period were pegged at C$749.3 million, up from C$646.1 million a year earlier - but still behind the C$776.4 million tallied in first six months of 2008.

In furniture, first-half sales of C$2.93 billion were 4.2% higher than the C$2.81 billion sold in comparable 2009 period. But that's still well below the C$3.21 billion sold in the 2008 first half.

In the second quarter alone, mattress sales of an estimated C$399.9 million were up 18% from the same period in 2009 and furniture sales of C$1.51 billion were up 7%.

Statistics Canada also reported that furniture and mattress store sales, including all products sold by those stores, were C$835 million in August. That was down 3.4% from the C$864.2 million rung up in August 2009 and also as down from this July's C$847 million. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

For the year through August, furniture and home furnishings stores - including sellers of a variety of home goods ranging from floor coverings to window treatments - had collective sales of C$9.53 billion, a gain of 4.8% over the C$9.1 billion for same period of 2009.