Search China Travel News:

The Chinese capital of Beijing will build 400 convenience stores in its urban neighborhoods this year.

Gong Li, a senior official with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce, said there are good prospects for the development of convenience stores as the capital continues to expand urban reconstruction and redouble efforts to improve the market environment.

"Beijing's plan to expand convenience stores will attract more domestic and overseas retailers, especially medium-sized and small investors," said Gong.

According to Gong, the existing small shops in urban areas will be encouraged to adapt to chainstore operations in a bid to improve service standards.

There are now 1,100 chainstore shopping malls and convenience stores across the city, most of which were former district bureaus for grain supplies or non-staple food companies.

By the year 2002, the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of Beijing was 3,355 US dollars and per capita disposable income for urban residents was about 1,494 US dollars.