Retail sales rebounded in January from a sluggish December but were virtually unchanged from a year ago, Statistics Canada revealed March 21.

The province鈥檚 retail sales in January were $5.118 billion, up one per cent from $5.066 billion in December but down $2 million, or a tiny fraction of a percent, compared with January 2012.

Across Canada, a similar story is playing out.

Retail sales across the country totalled $38.931 billion, according to the nation鈥檚 number cruncher.

That鈥檚 up about one per cent  from the $38.553 billion in December but down $43 million, or down 0.001 per cent from the same month a year ago.

B.C. had the flattest retail sales numbers among the provinces.

The provinces with the biggest year-over-year gains were Saskatchewan 6.7 per cent, Alberta 2.9 per cent and Prince Edward Island 2.8 per cent.

The provinces with the weakest year-over-year sales were Quebec - minus 4.9 per cent, Nova Scotia minus 4.1 per cent and Ontario minus 1.9 per cent.