Growth was far stronger than economists had predicted.

Analysts had on average forecast an increase of 1.1 per cent.

Core retail sales, which exclude autos and gasoline, were down 1.2 per cent.

Retail sales posted a whopping 23.7 per cent increase in June, climbing above pre-pandemic levels.

Motor vehicle and parts sales led the bounce-back, Statistics Canada says.

The plunge was far worse than economists expected, according to one survey.

"We're up to about 122 stores of our 188 that are available to be open.”

Not all shopping months are created equal.

But the underlying trends appear better than the ho-hum headline data suggests, one economist says.

The solid result is the latest in a string of data that suggests the economy bounced back in March, after a weak February.