In the first quarter of this year, China's top 100 retail stores reported sales volume of 47.77 billion yuan (US$5.76 billion), up 20.9 percent from a year earlier, according to latest statistics from the China General Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber said that sales of timber and timber products, chemical materials and chemical products, and electronic publications have witnessed the fastest growth, up 258 percent, 146 percent and 83 percent respectively over the same period last year.

In the period, the 100 largest stores sold 11.6 billion yuan of garments, accounting for 26.8 percent of the total retail sales. The sales of garments grew by 28.8 percent on a year-on-year base.

The sales of food products also enjoyed a rapid growth of 29.4 percent, said the chamber, adding the sales of electronic home appliances, like high-tech and digital products, and mobile phones, grew by 12.2 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2005)