In May, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 1,002.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.2 percent.

In terms of different regions, the retail sales of consumer goods in urban areas was 684.0 billion yuan, rose by 15.0 percent year-on-year; that of at and below the county level achieved 318.8 billion yuan, up by 15.6 percent.

In terms of different industries, the retail sales of wholesale and retail trades was 848.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.1 percent; that of accommodation and catering industry totaled 141.1 billion yuan, up by 17.2 percent; that of other industries was 13.2 billion yuan, up by 3.8 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 16.0, 21.2 and 14.4 percent respectively. Of which, the retail sales for grain and oil promoted 15.6 percent; that of meat, poultry and eggs surged 13.3 percent; that of garments went up 22.0 percent; that of cultural and offices appliances rose 2.6 percent; that of sports and entertainment supplies boomed 6.9 percent; that of commodities shot up by 15.4 percent; that of household appliances and AV equipments came up 12.0 percent; that of furniture was up by 33.3 percent; that of cosmetics jumped 21.7 percent; that of gold, silver, and jewelry ballooned 28.7 percent; that of automobiles rose by 23.8 percent; that of petroleum and related products grew 5.0 percent; and that of building and decoration materials increased 12.6 percent, while that of telecommunication equipments declined 7.8 percent.

The total retail sales of consumer goods hit 4,877.0 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.0 percent from January to May.

(National Bureau of Statistics June 12, 2009)