Overseas visitors attending the Rugby World Cup contributed to increased retail sales in the September 2011 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. After adjusting for seasonal effects, the volume of sales rose 2.2 percent – the largest quarterly increase since December 2006. “The increase in sales volumes coincided with the arrival of 80,000 overseas visitors, here for the Rugby World Cup,” industry and labour statistics manager Louise Holmes-Oliver said. More was sold in almost all 15 retail industries in the September quarter, with supermarket and grocery stores (up 3.8 percent) and the accommodation industry ... (full story)