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China Dearshiqiao International Home Textiles covers an area of one million square meters and offers more than 560 brands and over 1,000 types of home textiles. [Photo/WeChat account: jshmtt]

Xu Huimin, secretary of the CPC Nantong Committee, and Wang Hui, mayor of Nantong, visited China Dearshiqiao International Home Textiles in Haimen, a county-level city in Nantong, and the Tongzhou Zhihao Home Textiles Market in Tongzhou district on March 3.

They aimed to learn more about the state of development of both markets and ensure the implementation of a three-year plan designed to bring about the coordinated development of home textile markets in the city.

The two markets, located at the junction of Tongzhou and Haimen, are major home textile hubs in Nantong, with the Zhihao market focusing on fabrics and the Dearshiqiao market on finished products.

Both markets have seen significant growth in revenue since 2000 and have also encountered a number of problems, such as repetitive functions and competition, as well as being difficult to access.

To solve these problems, the Nantong government introduced a plan to optimize the industrial structure and management system of the markets, aiming to boost development of the city's home textile industry.

During the trip, Xu stressed that both markets should grasp the opportunities brought about by e-commerce development and the integration of the Yangtze River Delta and place more emphasis on the development of the entire industrial chain, including design, manufacturing, exhibition, trade, logistics, brand construction, index publication and patent protection.

The layouts of both markets will also be improved in accordance with urban development plans, and supporting facilities will be built.

Xu also required that the local governments optimize their business model and improve services.

The Haozhi market, covering about one million square meters, is home to more than 4,300 businesses, including over 300 R&D and design firms. In 2019, its offline turnover surpassed 70 billion yuan ($10.1 billion), while online trade brought in more than 20 billion yuan. Imports and exports were valued at 4.35 billion yuan last year. The market has been holding the China Chuanjiang Home Textile Drawing Fair since 2008.

Dearshiqiao market, also covering about one million square meters, has more than 6,300 shops.

Its offline turnover was 121.16 billion yuan in 2019, while online turnover was 36.3 billion yuan. Imports and exports were worth 6.33 billion yuan. The market started holding the annual Dearshiqiao Home Textile International Expo in 2018.

Both markets were included in a list of China's top 100 commodity markets in 2019.