Retail sales in Canada rose 0.6% from the prior month in September, as the figure has been revised sharply higher from the preliminary estimate of a stall, Statistics Canada said on Friday.
That also compares with a 0.1% drop in August and with a consensus of estimates pointing to zero growth.
In September, retail turnover rose considerably for gasoline and fuel vendors, by 3.2%, amid a surge in gasoline prices.
Sales also rose at motor vehicles and parts dealers, by 1.5%, since robust sales of new cars (up 2%) offset a drop in used car sales (down 2%).
Sales went up at general merchandise retailers, by 0.3% month-over-month, and at hardware stores, by 0.5% month-over-month, as well.
Conversely, sales of clothing, accessories and jewelry decreased 1% from the prior month in September.
Sales also fell for sporting goods, hobby, musical instruments and books – by 1.6%, Statistics Canada reported.
Retail sales, which exclude auto sales, in the country grew 0.2% month-over-month in September, while matching the rate of increase in August. In comparison, market consensus had pointed to a 0.2% drop.
The Canadian Dollar advanced 0.29% against its US counterpart immediately after the data release, with the USD/CAD currency pair last trading at 1.3654.