WASHINGTON, July 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. retail sales rose slightly in June thanks to a rebound in auto sales, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Thursday.

The Commerce Department said that combined retail and food sales amounted to 387.8 billion U.S. dollars in June, an increase of 0.1 percent from the previous month.

The June figure represented a 8.1 percent increase from a year earlier, the department said.

Motor vehicle and parts sales edged up 0.8 percent in June across the nation.

Consumer spending accounted for about 70 percent of the total activity in the world's largest economy, which is on track for recovery from the worst recession in decades.