In the first quarter, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 2,939.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.0 percent.

In terms of different regions, the retail sales of consumer goods in urban areas was 1,983.4 billion yuan, rose by 14.1 percent year-on-year; that of retail sales at and below the county level achieved 956.4 billion yuan, up by 17.0 percent.

In terms of different industries, the retail sales of wholesale and retail trades was 2,462.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 14.6 percent; that of accommodation and catering services was 438.3 billion yuan, up by 18.9 percent; that of other industries was 38.8 billion yuan, up by 2.8 percent.

In terms of different commodity categories, the retail sales above designated size of wholesale and retail trades, divided by foodstuff, clothing and utilized commodities increased 12.4, 14.3 and 7.3 percent respectively. Of the total, the retail sales for automobiles grew 11.1 percent; that of commodities grew 10.9 percent; that of household and video appliances grew 1.4 percent; that of cosmetics grew 14.8 percent; that of gold, silver and jewelry grew 11.8 percent; that of cultural and official articles grew 6.5 percent; that of sports and recreational articles grew 8.4 percent; that of garment grew 15.6 percent; that of grain, oil and foodstuff grew 11.8 percent, of which, the retail sales of grain and oil, meat, poultry and eggs went up 9.6 percent respectively; that of petroleum and related products declined 0.8 percent, and that of communication appliances dropped 7.5 percent.

(National Bureau of Statistics April 19, 2009)