Retail sales rise in August

Retail sales increased 0.7 percent to $61.8 billion in August, StatCan reports. Sales rose in six of 11 subsectors, with those six representing 65 percent of retail trade. The increase was led by sales in food and beverage stores, which were up 2.4 percent. LBM and garden sales edged up by 0.6 percent from July but jumped by 12.1 percent from a year earlier.