Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods Went up by 8.0 percent in 2019

In 2019, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 41,164.9 billion yuan, went up by 8.0 percent year-on-year (nominal growth rate. The real growth rate was 6.0 percent. The follows are nominal growth rates if there’s no additional explanation). Of the total, the retail sales of consumer goods excluding automobiles reached 37,226.0 billion yuan, increased by 9.0 percent.

In December 2019, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 3,877.7 billion yuan, up by 8.0 percent year-on-year. Of the total, the retail sales of consumer goods excluding automobiles was 3,434.9 billion yuan, increased by 8.9 percent.

In terms of different areas, the retail sales of consumer goods in urban areas was 35,131.7 billion yuan in 2019, up by 7.9 percent year-on-year, while that in rural areas was 6,033.2 billion yuan, up by 9.0 percent year-on-year. Of which, in December, the retail sales of consumer goods in urban areas was 3,270.4 billion yuan, up by 7.8 percent year-on-year, while that in rural areas was 607.3 billion yuan, up by 9.1 percent.

In terms of different consumption patterns, the catering services in 2019 gained 4,672.1 billion yuan, up by 9.4 percent year-on-year. The retail sales of goods gained 36,492.8 billion yuan, up by 7.9 percent. Of the total, in December, the catering services gained 482.5 billion yuan, up by 9.1 percent year-on-year, the retail sales of goods gained 3,395.2 billion yuan, up by 7.9 percent.

In terms of retail format, in 2019, the retail sales of supermarkets, department stores, specialty stores and specialty stores in the retail sector above designated size increased by 6.5, 1.4, 3.2 and 1.5 percent respectively over the previous year.

In 2019, the national online retail sales reached 10,632.4 billion yuan, an increase of 16.5 percent over the previous year. Among them, the online retail sales of physical goods reached 8,523.9 billion yuan, an increase of 19.5 percent, accounting for 20.7 percent of the total retail sales of social consumer goods; among the online retail sales of physical goods, food, clothing and consumer goods increased by 30.9, 15.4 and 19.8 percent respectively.

Annotations:

1. Explanatory Notes

Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods: refers to the sales of physical commodity or the income of catering services sold or provided by enterprises (units) to individuals, social organizations for non-production and non-operation purposes.

Online Retail Sales: refers to the sales of goods and services got through public online trading platform (including self-built websites and third-party platform). Goods and services include physical goods and non-physical goods (such as virtual product, services). 

The total retail sales of consumer goods includes online retail sales of physical goods, excludes online retail sales of non-physical goods.

2.Statistical Coverage

The corporate enterprises, industrial activity units or self-employed individuals which retail goods or provide catering services. Enterprises (units) above designated size refer to those wholesale enterprises (units) with an annual revenue from primary business of 20 million yuan and above, those retail enterprises (units) with an annual revenue from primary business of 5 million yuan and above, and those hotel and catering enterprises (units) with an annual revenue from primary business of 2 million yuan and above.

As the scope of wholesale and retail enterprises, accommodation and catering enterprises (units) above the designated size changes every year, the same period used to calculate the growth rate of retail sales per unit of consumer goods above the designated size is consistent with the statistical range of enterprises (units) in this period, and there is a caliber difference from the data released last year in order to ensure that the current year's data are comparable with the previous years. The main reasons are as follows: (1) some enterprises (units) reach the designated size and are included in the scope of the investigation every year, at the same time, some enterprises (units) withdraw from the scope of the investigation because their scale is smaller than the designated size, and there are also the effects of newly opened enterprises, bankruptcy, note (revocation) enterprises (units). (2) The monthly report of 2019, combined with the results of the fourth national economic census unit inventory (August-December 2018), re-verifies and identifies the units above the designated size at the end of 2018. Enterprises (units) that fail to meet the standard are included in the scope of the unit survey below the designated size

3. Survey Methods

All enterprises (units) above designated size are surveyed, while the data of enterprises (units) below designated size are collected by sampling survey.

4. Month-on-Month Figure Revision

According to the auto-revision function of the seasonal adjustment model, the growth rate of the total retail sales of consumer goods since November 2018 was revised. The revised figures and figures in November 2019 are as follows: