China's retail sales climbed 9 percent from a year ago to about 12 billion yuan (1.76 billion U.S. dollars) during the three-day May Day holiday, the Ministry of Commerce said Sunday.

The estimate was based on sales from May 1 to May 3 at 1,000 major domestic retailers monitored by the ministry.

The ministry said robust sales were reported for gold, jewelry, home appliances and autos, as retailers launched promotion campaigns.

Sales of gold and other jewelry rose 19.6 percent, the ministry said, without giving specific figures.

However, it said the Beijing Caishikou Department Store, a major gold retailer in the capital, saw its sales nearly double to 14.3 million yuan on May 1 alone.

Sales of appliances, such as LCD TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators and lap-tops, increased 11.4 percent, while those of automobiles grew 9.2 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2009)