A growing number of residents hang out at night in Chongchuan district, Nantong. [Photo/WeChat account: chongchuanonline]

The economy and trade have recently been returning to normal levels in Chongchuan district, Nantong, Jiangsu province, and the district's total value of retail sales from January to April was equivalent to that in the same period in previous years, according to local bureau of commerce.

There are a growing number of consumers in local shopping malls and supermarkets, and various sales promotions have been held to stimulate consumption.

According to incomplete statistics, a recent "shopping month" event launched in the district attracted over 30,000 participants and promoted the consumption of nearly 60 million yuan ($8.45 million). The sales revenue of stores joining the shopping event had a year-on-year increase of 14.63 percent in April and 19.52 percent during the May Day holiday.

The district has seen a significant increase in sales of durable commodities such as cars, jewelry and household appliances, and the demands for alcohol, tobacco and daily necessities continue grow. In addition, spending in the hotel and catering industries has reached about 70 percent of the amount in the same period last year.

Online sales have proved popular amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Ma Xiaofeng, deputy director of the district's bureau of commerce, said that the government is encouraging local enterprises to develop online sales to promote business recovery.

Data showed that the value of online sales in the district reached 200 million yuan during the first four months of 2020, up 26.99 percent year-on-year.

Nighttime consumption activities have been launched since May 15 and e-coupons worth 3 million yuan are expected to be given out.