Zhejiang shopping festival to pry open wallets

HANGZHOU: Authorities in East China’s Zhejiang province recently launched a threemonth shopping campaign to stimulate consumption and promote high-quality economic development.

Jointly hosted by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce and four other provincial departments, the 2022 Zhejiang Golden Autumn Shopping Festival kicked off last Friday along Hangzhou’s Hubin Pedestrian Street, one of China’s most iconic commercial thoroughfares.

Running from Sept 16 to early November, it overlaps with China’s Singles Day shopping extravaganza, with the new Hangzhou festival featuring eight major “theme weeks”, including food, fashion, culture and sports, among others, said Han Jie, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce.

About 500 events of various types, many of which will be livestreamed – including bazaars and expos – will be held over the period, and discounts, vouchers and subsidies worth some 2.3 billion yuan (Rm1.5bil) will be on offer, Han said.

For this year’s Golden Autumn Shopping Festival, major industry associations, trading companies, time-honoured brands as well as banks have been invited to actively participate.

“Through government agencies, businesses and banks, vouchers and coupons will be issued and distributed, which will help create a more conducive environment for consumers to enjoy their shopping,” said Hu Shengyue, an official with the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce.

With more people attracted to brick-andmortar stores, it is hoped that their consumption can provide a boost to the economy, as the promotional events are expected to cover millions of customers.