Higher sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers and gasoline stations were the main contributors to the gain. Excluding these two subsectors, retail sales declined 0.4%. Sales were up in 5 of 11 subsectors, representing 69% of retail trade.

After removing the effects of price changes, retail sales in volume terms were unchanged in October. Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers (+1.3%) increased for the third month in a row. All store types within this subsector posted gains, led by higher sales at new car dealers (+1.1%) and, to a lesser extent, used car dealers (+4.1%).