China’s retail sales rose 1.1% year-on-year in September 2026, picking up from a 0.4% increase in August and above the expected 0.5% gain. This marked the strongest rise since March. Growth was supported by a 31.1% surge in communication equipment sales, alongside increases in tobacco and alcohol (+13.8%), food products (+6.7%), and cosmetics (+5.4%). However, automobile sales plunged 21.2%, while gold and silver jewelry (-9.6%) and building materials (-9.2%) also declined. Excluding automobiles, retail sales grew 3.9%. Catering revenue increased 2.1%, while goods sales rose 1.0%. Online retail sales of goods advanced 3.8% year-on-year in the first nine months of the year, while total online retail sales of goods and services grew 4.4%. On a monthly basis, retail trade increased 0.4%, following a 0.2% decline in August. From January to September, retail sales increased 1.1% year-on-year, while sales excluding automobiles rose 2.8%.