Food categories lead slowdown in retail growth

Govt anti-corruption campaign, consumer caution take their toll

Retail markets in the first quarter have seen growth slow to 6.1 percent compared with 10.4 percent a year ago, showing that consumers are getting more selective in their daily purchases and purchase volumes are staying stagnant, according to Kantar Worldpanel, a global market research institution.

The slowdown in the first quarter was primarily due to Chinese consumers' reluctance to spend as well as continued weakness in government and company spending on employee welfare, according to Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar Worldpanel China.