SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Retail sales in rose 9.4 percent in November from a year earlier thanks to strong online sales, a government report showed Friday.

Offline sales by retailers, including department stores, discount outlets and convenient stores, gained 5.4 percent in November from a year ago, marking the highest growth since January, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Online sales jumped 16.7 percent in November, after rising 4.2 percent in the previous month, helping bolster the overall retail sales.

Sales in the cyberspace gained ground on solid demand for food and clothing in the winter season. People refrained from going out for shopping due to cold weather.

As for offline sales, convenient stores saw sales jump 10.2 percent in November from a year earlier on demand for convenience food.

Department stores sales gained 8.5 percent on demand for winter clothing and sports items, but sales in discount outlets were unchanged in November from a year ago.