The total value of Hong Kong’s retail sales in September rose 6.4 percent compared with the same month a year earlier, marking the 17th consecutive month of expansion, according to official data.

Growth in sales was broad-based across many types of retail outlet, reflecting solid local consumption sentiment in general, retail sales statistics from the Census and Statistics Department showed on Tuesday.

After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales, provisionally estimated at HK$33.4 billion, represents a 3.9 percent year-on-year increase.

In September, online sales accounted for 13.1 percent of the total retail sales value, provisionally estimated at HK$4.4 billion, marking a 12 percent rise from the same month a year earlier.

The value of sales of electrical goods and other consumer durable goods not elsewhere classified increased by 9.7 percent year-on-year.

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Jewelry, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts rose 20.3 percent; food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco 5.3 percent; medicines and cosmetics 9 percent; wearing apparel 11.1 percent; footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories 12.4 percent; furniture and fixtures 9 percent; optical shops 14.6 percent; while other consumer goods not elsewhere classified (up 11.5 percent).

The value of sales of commodities in supermarkets meanwhile dropped by 1 percent in September over a year earlier, followed by sales of commodities in department stores (down 4.1 percent); books, newspapers, stationery and gifts (down 0.5 percent); fuels (down 3.1 percent); motor vehicles and parts (down 34.7 percent); and Chinese drugs and herbs (down 3 percent).

A spokesman for the special administrative region government said a pick-up in visitor arrivals and sales of festive items associated with the earlier arrival of Mid-Autumn Festival this year contributed to growth in overall sales in September, while online retail sales value rose further alongside consumers' growing use of digital channels.

Looking ahead, the spokesman said that sustained solid economic expansion and growth in labor earnings will bolster local consumption.

A series of upcoming mega-events and festive celebrations in various districts, together with continued growth in inbound tourism, will inject additional momentum into the retail sector, added the spokesman.