The value of retail sales in September, provisionally estimated at $15 billion, rose 8.7% over a year earlier. After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the overall retail sales volume rose 7.8%.

The Census & Statistics Department said the growth reflected sustained improvement in local consumption demand and vibrant inbound tourism. Year-on-year growth in retail business was almost across-the-board.

Car sales soared nearly 30%, while electrical goods and photographic equipment grew more than 20%.

Analysed by type of retail outlet, vehicles and parts rose 29.6% in volume. This was followed by sales of electrical goods and photographic equipment (21.6%), furniture and fixtures (12.4%), commodities in supermarkets (7.9%), commodities in department stores (7.7%), food, alcohol and tobacco (5.8%), miscellaneous consumer durable goods (5.4%), miscellaneous consumer goods (4%), wearing apparel (3.7%), jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts (1.8%), and footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (0.5%). However, fuel sales fell 10.5% in volume.

Taking the first nine months together, retail sales rose 11.8% in value or 9.7% in volume over a year earlier. On a quarterly basis, retail sales dropped 2% in the third quarter over the preceding quarter.