September Retail Sales Surprisingly Strong

New York, NY, Oct. 6, 2011 -- Sales spurred consumers to spend more in September.

Several retailers including Target reported higher than expected increases in revenue for the month, thanks to widespread discounts.

Target reported a 5.3% revenue increase in September at stores open at least a year, beating the 3.9% gain analysts had expected.

Macy's, which runs department store chains Macy's and Bloomingdales, posted a 4.9% increase in revenue at stores opened at least a year, up slightly from the 4.4% increase analysts had expected.

The National Retail Federation expects winter holiday sales to rise 2.8% to $465.6 billion this year.