Consumption bounces back in Guangzhou

Consumption is seeing a strong rebound in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, after a series of stimulus measures were introduced in April.

Guangzhou's retail sales volume has logged growth for the second consecutive month, said Lin Guoqiang, deputy director of the Guangzhou Bureau of Commerce.

For example, GAC group, one of the country's major carmakers has turned a sales slump around. It had experienced a slide but sold 175,200 vehicles in May, up 20 percent from the figure recorded in April — a year-on-year increase of more than 1 percent.

Lin said the city's catering industry had returned to 92 percent of capacity as of June, with overall consumption bouncing back to 81.3 percent of normal.

"Guangzhou, which has been known for centuries for its delicious cuisine, has led the national recovery in the restaurant industry," Lin said at a news conference on Monday.

He attributed the city's strong rebound to the city government's efforts to promote commerce.

"In addition to special promotional events, the city government in recent months has provided local residents special shopping coupons to encourage consumption," he said.

Residents can now receive several thousand yuan in government subsidies if they buy a car this year.

Meanwhile, most local companies opened online sales channels when the city was hit hardest by COVID-19, a move that helped boost sales volume, he said.

Lin said he believed Guangzhou's retail sales volume would continue to grow in coming months.

The city has decided to move forward with the Guangzhou International Shopping Festival, as well as a series of promotional events, around the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays to boost consumption in the second half of the year, he said.

The holidays overlap on Oct 1.