Retailers sold on selling to China's rural residents

BEIJING - With China heading toward a new model of economic growth that is driven by domestic consumption, multinational companies are looking to tap into the country's rural consumer market, which is rising from obscurity to become a major growth driver.

Customers from the countryside are now thought to offer the greatest potential for retail growth in the years ahead with their incomes set to continue to rise, according to the Nielsen Company, a global information and market research provider.

As the top economic development strategy during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) period, the stimulation of the consumer market, especially the expansion of the rural market, will also be the focus during the upcoming session of the National People's Congress.