Retail sales in the U.S. rose by more than expected in the month of September, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Monday, with the sales growth partly due to a jump in sales by electronics and appliance stores. The report said retail sales increased by 1.1 percent in September following a revised 1.2 percent increase in August. Economists had expected sales to rise by about 0.7 percent compared to the 0.9 percent growth originally reported for the previous month. Rob Carnell, chief international economist at ING, said, "We do not believe this result should have been such a surprise, given the strength of consumer confidence recently, decent auto sales in September , reasonable surveys of discount and department store sales, and continued gains in gasoline prices." "The question now is how much of this retail strength will show in the real consumer spending series, which looks as if it will improve on the very weak 2Q12 consumer spending growth of 1.5%," he added. The stronger than expected sales growth was partly due to a 4.5 percent increase sales by electronics and appliance stores, which reflected sales of Apple's (AAPL) new iPhone 5. Gas stations also saw a notable 2.5 percent increase in sales in September following a 6.1 percent jump in August. Sales at food and beverage stoles rose by 1.2 percent, with the increase partly reflecting higher food prices as a result of the recent drought. The report also showed that sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers increased by 1.3 percent in September after rising by 1.8 percent in August. Excluding the increase in auto sales, retail sales still rose by 1.1 percent in September compared to a 1.0 percent increase in the previous month. Non-store retailers and building material & garden equipment and supplies dealers also saw notable sales growth, while sales at department stores edged down by 0.2 percent.