(CFP Photo)

Jiangsu’s total retail sales of consumer goods amounted to about 4.166 trillion yuan in the first 11 months of this year, an increase of 6.6% compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the province’s Bureau of Statistics on December 27.

The growth followed support policies at various government levels and diverse promotion activities aiming to expand domestic demand and stimulate spending.

The total retail sales of consumer goods during this period also registered a two-year average growth rate of 3.3%, 0.4 percentage point higher than in the first half of the year.

The rural consumer market experienced accelerated recovery, particularly in the catering sector, amid improvements in commercial facilities and logistics network in the countryside. From January to November, Jiangsu’s rural retail sales of consumer goods increased by 9.1% year-on-year, 2.9 percentage points higher than that in urban areas.

As the tourism market rebounded this year, the revenue of the catering industry in the 11 months surged by 19.2% compared to the same period a year ago.

In November, the revenue growth rates of the beverage sector and the clothes and textiles sector were 7.8 and 11.1 percentage points higher, respectively, than in October.

Sales of the petroleum and petroleum products have maintained growth since June. However, the automobile sector registered shrinking sales volumes, partly due to the high base number in last November.

Since the real estate market has not yet recovered, sales of home goods have fallen during the period.