The Zhitong Finance App learned that the head of the Distribution Development Department of the Ministry of Commerce discussed the development of China's wholesale and retail industry from January to September 2026. Looking at the wholesale industry, in January-September, the total profit of the Ministry of Commerce's key commodity markets increased 5.8% year on year. Among them, total profit from industrial consumer categories increased 8.5% year on year. In January-September, passenger traffic and turnover of 78 pedestrian streets and business districts across the country monitored by the Ministry of Commerce increased by 5.3% and 2.5% year-on-year. As of September 2026, the one-quarter hour convenience circle pilot area has built more than 9,500 convenience living circles, serving more than 190 million community residents. The county's consumption potential is unleashed.
The original text is as follows:
The head of the Distribution Development Department of the Ministry of Commerce talks about the development of China's wholesale and retail industry from January to September 2026
Since this year, the Ministry of Commerce has thoroughly implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, innovatively promoted the construction of a modern trade circulation system, promoted the high-quality development of the wholesale and retail industry, and provided strong support for expanding domestic demand and building a strong domestic market in all aspects. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in January-September, China's wholesale and retail industry added value of 11.1 trillion yuan, up 4.4% year on year. The growth rate was 0.7 percentage points higher than in the first half of the year, accounting for 10.4% of GDP. The overall development of the industry is improving, providing strong support for expanding domestic demand in all aspects and strengthening the domestic cycle.
The wholesale industry is growing steadily, and the quality of innovative business formats has been upgraded. Looking at the wholesale industry, in January-September, the total profit of the Ministry of Commerce focused on the commodity market increased 5.8% year on year. Among them, total profit from industrial and consumer categories increased 8.5% year on year. Looking at the retail industry, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, retail sales of convenience stores and supermarkets among retail units above the limit increased by 5.2% and 4.1%, respectively, over the same period last year. The transformation of physical retail has accelerated. Retail sales of warehousing member stores and unattended stores above the limit all grew by more than 25% year-on-year, retail sales in shopping malls grew by more than double digits, and retail sales in consolidated stores continued to accelerate.
Urban and rural markets have remained active, and passenger flow consumption has increased. Urban commerce is growing steadily. In January-September, passenger traffic and turnover of 78 pedestrian streets and business districts across the country monitored by the Ministry of Commerce increased by 5.3% and 2.5% year-on-year. As of September 2026, the one-quarter hour convenience circle pilot area has built more than 9,500 convenience living circles, serving more than 190 million community residents. The county's consumption potential is unleashed. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in January-September, retail sales of consumer goods in rural areas were 5.01 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.3% over the previous year, and the growth rate was 1.4 percentage points higher than in urban areas. Retail sales of consumer goods in counties and towns, including towns and rural areas, accounted for 39.1% of total retail sales of social consumer goods, an increase of 0.3 percentage points over the same period last year. E-commerce is booming in rural areas. Big business data shows that in January-September, online retail sales in rural areas nationwide were 2248.58 billion yuan, up 6.5% year on year, and online retail sales of agricultural products were 590.9 billion yuan, up 12.6% year on year.
Trade-in has been optimized and implemented, and domestic “trendy products” are widely popular. The trade-in of consumer goods continues to gain strength. Since 2026, over 10.99 million units of home appliances have been traded in, and more than 12.6 million new digital and smart products have been purchased. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in January-September, retail sales of communication equipment per unit above the limit were 812.3 billion yuan, up 18.1% year on year. Among them, the single month of September increased by 31.1% year on year. The growth rate continued to rank first among the 16 categories of products, the highest level since June last year. Retail sales of wearable smart devices and energy-efficient household appliances have continued to grow rapidly. Time-honored brands are showing active consumer performance. A total of 131 events of various types were held in various regions, achieving direct sales of 1,302 billion yuan, driving online and offline sales of 15.96 billion yuan. Platform enterprise data shows that in January-September, dine-in transaction volume of time-honored Chinese catering companies increased 7.85% year over year.
This article was selected from the “Ministry of Commerce” official website, Zhitong Finance Editor: Liu Jiayin.