This comprised 13.6 of total retail sales of consumer goods, up nearly 3 percentage points year on year.

According to data, the consumption potentiality of rural residents has been continuously released. In the first half of this year, the retail sales of rural consumer goods increased by 10.5 , and the growth rate is 1.3 percentage points higher than that of towns.

Producers are also engaging in direct sales to consumers through on line retailing, bypassing retailers.

Due to the recent restructuring of retail activities, supermarkets saw their share rise from 20 per cent of total national food retailing in 1990 to 50 60 per cent of total turnover in 2002.

In particular, online retail sales of physical goods amounted to approximately RMB5.08 trillion, while online retail sales of services amounted to nearly RMB1.49 trillion.

Foreign sales represent a significant share in total sales of the main European retailers.

On line retailing is still in its infancy and represents a minor share of total sales, but it is significant for selected products, such as books and computers.

Recent monthly figures suggest a pick up in retail sales. But, because the official statistics capture mostly sales by larger retailers and exclude the fall in sales by hundreds of thousands of smaller stores and businesses that have failed, consumption looks better than it really is.

In Europe, for example, on line retailing accounts for 2 per cent of total grocery sales, but it is growing by 50 per cent annually.

Total retail sales are approaching the 2.0 billion level, having reached 1.8 billion in 1996.

Online sales are less common in retail trade (B2C) or in services' industries, with sales accounting for only 1.7 and 1 per cent of total sales, respectively.

In Chile, for example, the top four chains already represent 46 per cent of total national grocery retailing, and in Latin America as a whole, on average the top five chains represent 65 per cent of total sales.

Up to 30 of the more optimistic consumers in some countries say that they are shopping more frequently and purchasing new and more expensive products. And half of all respondents claim to make daily sacrifices to save for major expenditures.

Rather, e tail supports incremental consumption 1 of online consumption seems to generate roughly 0.40 of additional sales. And incremental spending as a share of total spending is even higher in China s less developed cities, where a shortage of brick and mortar retailers means that online shopping provides access to otherwise unavailable products and brands.

While the first operates fixed point of sale locations, non store retailers or retailers away from a fixed location reach customers and market merchandise with methods such as broadcasting infomercials , paper and electronic catalogues, door to door solicitation and selling from portable stalls.

At present most Vietnamese retailers are small, family run outlets, offering a limited choice of products to their customers.

Consumer demand has been the main factor responsible for lower prices in retailing.

However, with a growth rate significantly higher than for total retail trade, the share of e commerce in total retail trade is also growing.

Likewise, the multinational consumer goods company Procter and Gamble reported 52 billion in sales of sustainable innovation products from 2007 to 2012. That is roughly 11 of the company s total sales over that period.

In the case of Colombia, for example in 1995 small retail establishments accounted for approximately 47 per cent of total retail sales, down from more than 75 per cent in 1985.

The increasing concentration has generated strong competition among retail establishments, which has translated into lower retailing margins and benefits to consumers.

The top 100 retailers (see table 3) account for 25 per cent of worldwide retailing sales.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) and modernization in retailing bring benefits to consumers, who can have access to a larger variety of quality products within the same store, and to Governments, which can control quality, and measure and tax what is being sold.

The growth in concentration in retailing has also given rise to a number of concerns about anti competitive behaviour of major retailers vis à vis other competitors, and abuses of buyers' power with respect to suppliers of products and consumers.

In most countries, the retail sector has typically developed in three stages first, local or regional players dominate, before a smaller number of national companies takes over, with e tailers ultimately challenging traditional businesses. But China lacks national leaders, with the top five Chinese retailers in different product categories commanding less than 20 of the market, compared to up to 60 in the US.

Retailers have integrated backwards into wholesale operations, and producers have integrated forward, performing wholesale functions by distributing their products directly to retailers.

In practice, they are more likely to increase retail markups and lower cost pass through. The estimated price pass through for imported manufactured goods, which would better represent what enters the consumption bundle, is even lower than that for all non fuel imports.

The Euro Retailer Produce Working Group (EUREP) is a European based trade organization for retailers.

In addition, retailers provide a set of different services such as product assembly and display, supply of product information, customer services such as delivery, credit and implicit warranties, and production services such as packaging and processing goods in a suitable form for consumers.

In 2002, for example, China's retail market was worth 4,000 billion, larger than all non Japan Asian countries combined, and represented 5 per cent of worldwide retail sales.

More sophisticated retailers, especially in Europe, are increasingly demanding quality assurance all the way back to the producer and even to the feed supplier to ensure the consumer receives healthy products.

Growing use by retailers of own brands and discount retailing have also been driving prices down significantly.

In total, stock of Asian investment in the retail trade in the United States in 2002 stood at US 3 billion in retail trade.

Retail sales in the Russian Federation totalled 194.6 billion in 2004, with the distribution sector's contribution to GDP amounting to 22 per cent.

Its membership consists of growers, product marketing organizations and growers' cooperatives, food manufacturers and retailers.

Despite a broadband penetration rate of only 30 , e tail commanded 5 6 of total retail sales in China in 2012, on par with the US. And the sector is already profitable Chinese e tailers are logging margins of 8 10 of earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization, which is slightly larger than the average margin for physical retailers.

Consumption and sales

Being a retailer, it is a play on the belief that this middle class that's growing will continue to grow, that the boom and the confidence in consumer spending will continue.

The main market players related to distribution are consumers, retailers, wholesalers and other intermediaries, as well as suppliers of goods and other services.

Half of the total membership fee is used for the social welfare needs of its members.

Increased costs, as described above, cannot be offset completely by raising retail prices of cards and gift products.

Weather and the impact of major social or sporting events remain the biggest factors when it comes to sales in the out of home market.

Sales of cholesterol reducing products in the United States totalled 18 billion in 2004.

However, the retail price (price to the consumer) at stage (d) of the same 25 kilogram bag is 15 to 20.

(b) Drive sales of UNICEF cards and gifts with a special focus on broadening their distribution through retailers and the Internet