China retail sales pick up in October

An extra-large down coat on display at a showroom of Zhong Ding Tai Feng Trade Co Ltd, a manufacturer and exporter of women's wear, targeting Russian-speaking countries. [Photo provided to China Daily]

BEIJING - China's retail sales of consumer goods continued to pick up in October with the highest growth rate this year, official data showed on Wednesday.

In October, retail sales expanded 11 percent to 2.83 trillion yuan ($445 billion), 0.1 percent higher than growth in September, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The rise was mainly due to accelerated growth in car sales by major companies, which advanced 7.1 percent from a year ago, contributing 0.8 percent of the total sales rise in October, said NBS statistician Lin Tao.

In the Jan- Oct period, retail sales rose 10.6 percent year on year to 24.44 trillion yuan, 0.1 percent higher than in the first three quarters.

Online sales surged by 34.6 percent to 2.95 trillion yuan in the first ten months, with the sales of virtual goods jumping 43.1 percent.

While retail sales registered stable growth, there are still significant deflationary pressures, said HSBC analyst Qu Hongbin.

China's consumer price index (CPI), the main gauge of inflation, rose 1.3 percent year on year in October, the NBS said on Tuesday.