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Retail sales surge on iPhone 6 release

The Bureau of Statistics says the release of the iPhone 6 caused an unexpected surge in retail sales.

Retail turnover jumped 1.2 per cent in September, much stronger than August's anaemic 0.1 per cent rise, and also well ahead of analyst forecasts in a Reuters survey that centred on a 0.4 per cent rise.

It was the household goods sector that drove the bounce, surging 4.1 per cent, with electrical goods driving almost all of that increase with a 9.2 per cent jump.

"This figure was influenced by the release of the iPhone 6 during the month," observed the ABS in its media release.

"The increase in electrical and electronic goods retailing represents about half of the total Australian sales movement of 1.2 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms."

However, iPhones were not the only goods selling well in September - Westpac's senior economist Matthew Hassan observed that sales rose 0.7 per cent in the month after excluding the electronics category.

"While there appears to have been a product-related one-off boost in the latest month, the broader picture from the September retail report is still more positive than had been expected," he wrote in a note on the data.

"That in turn suggests demand momentum has firmed in the third quarter."

Liquor sales posted a strong 2.3 per cent gain, and hardware, footwear, department stores, recreational goods and cafes, restaurants and takeaways also did well in the month.

Newspaper and book retailing (-4.7 per cent), clothing (-0.5 per cent), furniture and homewares all posted a decline in sales.

The rise in sales was well spread across the country with the ACT posting the biggest rise of 1.9 per cent, but New South Wales (1.7 per cent), Victoria and Western Australia (both 1.3 per cent) not too far behind.

Only the Northern Territory posted a decline in sales (-0.6 per cent).

The ABS said retail turnover is up 5.7 per cent over the year to September.