Business owners in this province were bracing for cutbacks in spending last year due to the high cost of living, but according to Stats Canada, people spent more – on average – than the previous year.

The federal agency says retail sales increased last year by about five per cent.

That’s good news, at least for now, according to the Atlantic Canada Director with the Retail Council of Canada, Jim Cormier.

He says they didn’t see as much of an impact from trade tensions with the United States as they thought they would. That said, there could be a “lot of turbulence” this year, but they have their fingers crossed that spending trends will continue.