Wuxi's consumption booms during Spring Festival holiday

Driven by strong local leisure demand during the Spring Festival holiday, the consumption level in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province was impressively high, local news reported on Feb 18.

The total sales of 13 key shopping malls in the city hit 512 million yuan ($79.34 million) during this year's Spring Festival holiday, up 98.2 percent from the same period last year.

Shopping malls, commercial complexes, as well as streets and areas featuring ancient culture were the main drivers for the city's consumption growth during the holiday. Merchants introduced offers, including subsidies and consumption coupons, to promote consumption. Strict measures were also taken by businesses to offer a safe and secure environment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city's Liangxi district launched an online Lunar New Year's Shopping Festival, which gained popularity among consumers by integrating online and offline services.

Authorities of the city's commerce bureau said that many residents chose to dine in restaurants due to the city's general containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wuxi's 33 key catering enterprises reported a total business volume of 116 million yuan during the seven-day holiday, up 2.7 percent year-on-year, showcasing that the city's catering industry has returned to a pre-pandemic normal level.