Consumers' progress

The foreign retailers' expansion and the progress of domestic players, also helped Chinese consumers become more sophisticated and mature, analysts say.

"They (Chinese) no longer take the big names as an unconditional object of admiration and in turn have come to know how to protect their interests," says Huang with Renmin University of China.

Over recent years, there have been a series of negative reports regarding Carrefour and Wal-Mart as well as domestic Wu-Mart, concerning poor quality or expired food, unsafe children's clothes, maggots found in dried fish, as well as bribes.

Wal-Mart has also been criticized by the public for its refusal to establish a trade union in China.

"Exposure of those scandals reflect a freer social environment, more transparent administration and the fact that consumer rights consciousness has increased in China," says Li of Tsinghua University.