Sales growth in Scotland last month was at its highest since June according to Scottish retail sales monitor SRC-KPMG.
Like-for-like sales in September were 1.5 per cent higher than in September 2008 when sales were flat.
The last two months saw year-on-year declines for non-food sales according to the body.
Bike dealers also saw some sales growth in September, according to the latest figures from the ACT.