Canadian retail gains 1 percent in September

OTTAWA, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Retail sales receipts in Canada rose 1 percent in September largely due to higher sales at automobile dealerships, Statistics Canada said Friday.

Sales at car dealerships -- parts and vehicles -- rose 4.1 percent after a two-month slide. At new car dealerships, sales rose 5 percent, the largest monthly gain for the category since January 2009, as customers appear to be favoring new cars. StatsCan said sales at used car dealers rose 0.7 percent in the month.

Sales at gasoline stations rose for the fourth time out of the past five months, gaining 0.8 percent in September. Sales of building materials and garden equipment also rose 0.8 percent.

Health and personal care stores reported sales up 0.2 percent in the month, while food and beverage sales dropped 0.3 percent.

Sales at electronics and appliance stores dropped 1.1 percent, notching the fifth consecutive decline in the sector, StatsCan said.