Beijing's consumer market maintained growth momentum in the first quarter, with total market consumption rising 2.4% year-on-year, an acceleration of 0.8 percentage points compared to the full-year growth rate of the previous year. Service consumption continued its relatively rapid expansion, increasing by 4.8%. The consumer goods market showed a fluctuating recovery, with total retail sales reaching 343.89 billion yuan, down 0.6% year-on-year. This decline was mainly influenced by the continued contraction in sales of traditional fuel vehicles, though the rate of decrease narrowed by 2.3 percentage points from the previous year.
Service consumption grew at a faster pace, supported by the implementation of national policies aimed at fostering new growth areas in service consumption. In the first quarter, the growth rate of service consumption exceeded that of total retail sales by 5.4 percentage points. Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence continued to empower the sector, with service consumption in the information field increasing by over 10% year-on-year, driven by strong performance in online entertainment, transportation, and lifestyle services. Holiday consumption warmed up steadily, travel remained active, and cultural and sports activities such as performances, exhibitions, and competitions diversified, contributing to growth in service consumption across transportation, culture, and sports sectors.
The catering sector continued its recovery in the first quarter, with catering revenue increasing by 0.2% year-on-year, an improvement of 3.2 percentage points from the previous year. Catering formats that aligned with consumer preferences for efficiency, convenience, quality, and emotional value performed well. Revenue from coffee shops, fast-food services, and other beverage and cold drink services under the designated threshold grew by 10.5%, 1.8%, and 1.1%, respectively. Full-service dining showed signs of improvement, with the decline narrowing by 4.6 percentage points to -1.3%, while Beijing's distinctive catering brands demonstrated strong performance.
Emerging consumption activities remained vibrant, becoming a new engine for consumption growth as consumer demand continued to upgrade. Commercial pedestrian streets in Beijing underwent upgrades, with traditional areas like Longfusi integrating modern trends and time-honored brands, and fashionable districts like Sanlitun offering fresh experiences, thereby enhancing consumption quality and attracting large numbers of visitors. Emotional consumption emerged as a new trend, driving growth in related goods and services. Sales of trendy toys and cultural creative products surged, with combined retail sales of key monitored enterprises in this category growing by 79.8%. Pet service consumption scenarios expanded continuously, with related enterprises achieving double-digit revenue growth. Green and smart consumption also developed favorably, with high-efficiency home appliances, audio-visual equipment, and wearable smart devices all recording rapid growth.
Overall, Beijing's consumer market continued to improve, with the trend of consumption structure upgrading remaining unchanged, though structural differentiation was evident. In the next phase, efforts will focus on implementing actions to boost consumption, stabilizing employment and increasing incomes, expanding and upgrading goods consumption, accelerating the cultivation of new growth points in service consumption, and continuously unleashing consumption potential to foster further improvement in the consumer market.
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