Sales of Hebei's 119 major retailers during the golden week of the Spring Festival hit 1.04 billion yuan, up 19 percent over the same period last year, the Department of Commerce of Hebei Province (DCHP) reported.

The weeklong Spring Festival holiday, which started Feb 13, is China’s closest equivalent to the Christmas shopping season in Western countries.

Food, especially green vegetable, was in great demand. Food sales were up 11.9 percent, liquor sales were up 12.7 percent and drink sales were up 17.9 percent in Tangshan in Hebei province.

In Hengshui in Hebei province, jewelry sales were up 40.54 percent and cosmetics sales were up 21.86 percent year-on-year.

The sales surge was boosted by various promotional activities. Retailers offered discounts and coupons and extended their hours of operation to attract more customers.

More than seven million consumers visited the province’s 75 shopping malls and supermarkets, the DCHP said.

By Liu Xiang and Guo Changdong