Ministry of Commerce: In the first quarter, the Ministry of Commerce focused on contacting key commodity markets, with the transaction volume increasing by 8.6% year-on-year.

On April 27, the person in charge of the Department of Commerce's circulation development talked about the development of China's wholesale and retail industry in the first quarter of 2026. According to National Bureau of Statistics data, in the first quarter, the value added of China's wholesale and retail industry reached 3.5 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.1%, accounting for 10.5% of GDP. The market operation started steadily, with most formats maintaining growth. In terms of the wholesale industry, in the first quarter, the Ministry of Commerce focused on the year-on-year growth of turnover in key commodity markets, with turnover in production materials and industrial consumer goods markets increasing by 16.1% and 10.7% respectively. In terms of the retail industry, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in the first quarter, retail sales of goods reached 11.3 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.2%. Among retail enterprises above quota, the turnover of convenience stores, supermarkets, and specialty stores increased by 8.3%, 5.1%, and 0.5% respectively. The market vitality in urban and rural areas is strong, and consumer potential continues to be unleashed. The flow of customers in urban commercial districts is steadily increasing. In the first quarter, the Ministry of Commerce monitored 78 national pedestrian streets and commercial district customer flow and turnover, which increased by 5.2% and 4.8% respectively year-on-year. The vitality of county markets is growing. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in the first quarter, the retail sales of consumer goods in rural areas reached 1.7 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.1%, which is 0.8 percentage points higher than that in urban areas. Rural e-commerce is thriving. Business big data shows that in the first quarter, the online retail sales in rural areas nationwide increased by 11.0% year-on-year, with Shenzhen Agricultural Power Group's online retail sales increasing by 14.7% year-on-year. The formation of a green production and lifestyle is accelerating, and time-honored brands are leading consumer trends. The scale of the green consumption market continues to expand. According to estimates from relevant industry associations, in the first quarter, the scale of China's green home market was approximately 500 billion yuan; the transaction value of second-hand cars reached 312.882 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.7%. The policy of trading in old for new continues to be enforced. Up to now, consumers have purchased 27.999 million units of six major categories of home appliances, driving sales of 114.98 billion yuan; they have purchased 42.063 million units of digital and smart products, a year-on-year increase of 32.8%, driving sales of 125.127 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 37.4%. Intelligent glasses were included in the subsidy scope for the first time this year, becoming a new hot spot for trading old for new consumer goods. Under the policy drive, the sales volume and sales of intelligent glasses of key enterprises increased by 42.4% and 46.8% year-on-year respectively. Time-honored brands are favored by the market. The 2026 "Time-Honored Brand Carnival" continues to advance, with 48 featured events held nationwide, driving sales of Wuxi Online Offline Communication Information Technology Co., Ltd. to exceed 500 million yuan. Data from platform companies shows that in the first quarter, the turnover of dining-in transactions in traditional Chinese brands increased by 17%. This article is selected from the official website of the Ministry of Commerce, edited by GMTEight: Jiang Yuanhua.