Supporting Article

Urban Consumers


Targeted by marketers, urban professionals are buying . . .

• Retail sales in China broke RMB 4,000 billion in 2002, a growth of 8.8%.
• Thirty-eight million urban families currently can afford to spend the nearly US $12,000 required to buy a new car. More than 70% of the adults living in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou (combined population of 33 million) plan to buy a car in the next five years.[1]
• Retail growth in 2002 over what it was in 2001: — in telecommunications: 69.2% — in cars: 73% — in household appliances: 14.6%
• Sales of houses grew by 43.9% for the first seven months of 2003 compared with the same period of 2002 while car sales grew by 77.1%. 
• The market for toiletries and cosmetics has passed US $3 billion and is expected to reach US $22 billion by 2013.[2] 

Image credit: Desire by Dan via Flickr.
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Frank Peterson

Frank Peterson has been engaged in mobilizing Christians to serve the peoples of China for more than 21 years. He is currently living and working in China.View Full Bio


Fredrik Fällman

Fredrik Fällman

Fredrik Fällman, PhD, is Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and former Asia Secretary for the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden (now Uniting Church in Sweden)View Full Bio