China’s retail sales of consumer goods rose 1.1 percent year on year to RMB 37.0 trillion in January–September 2026, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 国家统计局) said on 19 October. Cosmetics sales by companies above designated size rose 6.1 percent over the nine months, and online sales of goods and services rose 4.4 percent.
Retail sales rose 1.1 percent to RMB 37.0 trillion in nine months
NBS data put total retail sales of consumer goods at RMB 37.0001 trillion for January–September, up 1.1 percent on the same period of 2025. Excluding cars, retail sales were RMB 34.06 trillion, up 2.8 percent.
September retail sales were RMB 4.24 trillion, also up 1.1 percent. Excluding cars, September sales rose 3.9 percent, while car sales by companies above designated size fell 21.2 percent.
Over the nine months, goods sales rose 1.0 percent to RMB 32.80 trillion and catering revenue rose 2.4 percent to RMB 4.20 trillion. Rural sales grew 2.3 percent, against 0.9 percent in urban areas.
Cosmetics sales rose 5.4 percent in September
Among companies above designated size, cosmetics (化妆品类) sales were RMB 39.0 billion in September, up 5.4 percent year on year. For January–September they reached RMB 349.1 billion, up 6.1 percent.
In the same September data, tobacco and alcohol sales rose 13.8 percent, grain, oil and food 6.7 percent and beverages 5.0 percent. Gold, silver and jewellery fell 9.6 percent, while clothing, footwear, hats and textiles rose 1.2 percent.
| Category | September (RMB bn) | September y/y | Jan–Sep (RMB bn) | Jan–Sep y/y |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetics | 39.0 | +5.4% | 349.1 | +6.1% |
| Grain, oil and food | 222.4 | +6.7% | 1,773.8 | +6.8% |
| Beverages | 30.4 | +5.0% | 244.4 | +5.4% |
| Tobacco and alcohol | 66.3 | +13.8% | 510.5 | +12.6% |
| Clothing, footwear, hats and textiles | 121.3 | +1.2% | 1,082.4 | +4.6% |
| Daily-use goods | 74.8 | +4.1% | 644.7 | +3.8% |
| Chinese and Western medicines | 64.8 | +5.0% | 541.0 | +4.0% |
| Gold, silver and jewellery | 25.8 | -9.6% | 262.0 | -2.4% |
| Communication equipment | 106.2 | +31.1% | 812.3 | +18.1% |
Unit: %
September 2026, year on year, companies above designated size · Source: NBS, 19 October 2026
View as table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Cosmetics | 5.4% |
| Tobacco and alcohol | 13.8% |
| Grain, oil and food | 6.7% |
| Beverages | 5.0% |
| Medicines | 5.0% |
| Daily-use goods | 4.1% |
| Clothing and footwear | 1.2% |
| Gold, silver and jewellery | -9.6% |
Online sales of goods and services rose 4.4 percent
Online retail sales of goods and services totalled RMB 15.15 trillion in January–September, up 4.4 percent. Online goods sales rose 3.8 percent to RMB 9.51 trillion, and online services sales rose 5.3 percent to RMB 5.64 trillion.
Within online goods, food (吃类) grew 15.8 percent, clothing (穿类) 3.4 percent and other goods for use (用类) 0.8 percent. On a simple calculation, online goods sales were equal to 25.7 percent of total retail sales.
The NBS has replaced its former online retail sales indicator with online retail sales of goods and services, which covers more service platforms. The bureau says the new series is not comparable with the old one.
Unit: %
January-September 2026, year on year · Source: NBS, 19 October 2026
View as table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Online food | 15.8% |
| Online services | 5.3% |
| All online goods | 3.8% |
| Online clothing | 3.4% |
| Online goods for use | 0.8% |
Convenience stores grew 5.2 percent; brand stores fell 10.3 percent
Among retailers above designated size, convenience store sales rose 5.2 percent and supermarket sales 4.1 percent in January–September. Specialty stores fell 2.2 percent, department stores 2.9 percent and brand stores (品牌专卖店) 10.3 percent.
Unit: %
January-September 2026, year on year, retailers above designated size · Source: NBS, 19 October 2026
View as table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Convenience stores | 5.2% |
| Supermarkets | 4.1% |
| Specialty stores | -2.2% |
| Department stores | -2.9% |
| Brand stores | -10.3% |
The NBS also revised its seasonally adjusted month-on-month series. September retail sales rose 0.35 percent from August, after a 0.16 percent fall in August.
Coming up · We may follow up with the NBS survey of household income and spending for the first three quarters, and with September customs data on cosmetics imports.
