FLOCKING to Wuhan to share the city's economic growth are prominent Hong Kong retailers such as Wing On Department Store and Goldlion. They have entered, or are entering, the city with full approval despite Wuhan not having been declared open for foreign commercial operators.
Brand-name products such as Giordano and Crocodile also are sold in the city.
''Wuhan citizens' consumption power has been rising in recent years,'' said deputy mayor Sun Zhigang.
''Now there are many rich people, especially those engaging in private enterprises. Chinese bosses and employees of joint ventures and technology people also get higher pay.'' Last year, the city's average income was 2,688 yuan, or 224 yuan a month, up 36 per cent on the previous year.
Its total retail turnover grew 30 per cent to 16.73 billion yuan last year.
Wuhan's retail industry is the seventh biggest in China, according to an official at Wuhan Department Store, the first Wuhan enterprise to list A share on the mainland.