Shoppers in China boost festival sales

Meanwhile, many businesses in the Yangtze River Delta region are also facing weak demand for Christmas products.

Chen Jinlin, secretary-general of the Yiwu Christmas Products Industry Association, said that total sales in the city this year are likely to fall between 15 and 20 percent year-on-year.

Yiwu, a city in Zhejiang province, accounts for about 40 percent of Christmas products sold in the European market.

But with more Chinese people celebrating the holiday, domestic orders for the seasonal products are on the rise, both on e-commerce websites and in supermarkets.

Scented candles have become a popular gift for Chinese urban dwellers during the Christmas season.

The value of candle sales made by US-based Yankee Candle Co Inc reached 510,000 yuan in a single day during a promotion on Dec 12 in their online shop on Taobao, one of China's leading e-commerce websites, according to Sang Weinan, marketing director of Yankee Candle's China office.

The company's best-selling products this month are mostly being bought by people under 35, he said.

"Christmas has become the most popular non-festival festive season in China," Sang said. "And Chinese people are eager to explore things that add to their quality of life."

The awareness and acceptance of Western festivals are supporting businesses related to Christmas themes, Sang said.

The company has sold candles and scents worth about 40 million yuan this year so far, a significant increase from about 10 million yuan last year, Sang said.

Meanwhile, in Chinese supermarkets and shopping malls, Christmas items are everywhere.

In Beijing, in a store owned by supermarket chain RT-Mart, rows of Christmas trees and piles of seasonal decorations can be seen right after the entrance, along Christmas-themed clothes.

Li Wei, a manager at the RT-Mart store, said that they are stocking 200 to 300 products for the Christmas season, and that sales are up between 20 and 30 percent year-on-year.

Contact the writers at qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn and wangzhuoqiong@chinadaily.com.cn