Retail sales rose by just under one percent in September — fuelled by an increase in liquor sales, a report released this morning shows.According to the Retail Sales Index retail sales rose 0.8 percent — or $600,000 — above the $81.9 million in September last year.The report says: “Among the broad retail sectors, sales from liquor stores were the strongest, increasing 25.5 percent. In contrast, retailers of building materials experienced the largest decline, registering a 27.3 percent drop in sales receipts.”The report says that food and liquor sales were influenced by the Labour Day holiday and preparations for Hurricane Leslie.Overall, after adjusting for inflation, the volume of sales fell by 1.1 percent in September.