HANGZHOU, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- With more than four months to go before Christmas, Yiwu, which is widely known as the "world's supermarket," has already flipped the calendar to the festive season.
Customs data indicates that Zhejiang Province, where Yiwu is located, exported Christmas goods worth 9.11 billion yuan (about 1.3 billion U.S. dollars) from January to July this year -- up 23 percent year on year. In June and July alone, exports of Christmas commodities totaled 6.64 billion yuan.
"Now is our peak season. Many clients want their orders even earlier," said Chen Xiaotao, sales manager at Yiwu Duoxi Import & Export Co., Ltd. Inside the company's warehouse, bundles of artificial pine needles are fastened to metal frames to form Christmas trees, which stand amid piles of colorful ornaments. "Once we attach the labels, these items will be on their way," Chen added.
As the world's largest Christmas goods trading hub, Yiwu ships more than 20,000 types of holiday products to over 100 countries and regions each year.
In addition to traditional products such as Santa hats, ornaments and Christmas trees, Duoxi is also stocking toys, bicycles and other gift items, offering a one-stop holiday shopping service for overseas buyers.
Chen noted that amid a challenging trade environment, foreign buyers are stockpiling earlier than usual. "Orders used to peak between June and August, but this year they started in April."
Customs officials from Yiwu have said the same, noting that exports in May had increased more than 90 percent year on year.
"Christmas goods were already loaded in containers in April, and their share of exports has continued to rise in recent months, driving overall export growth," said Song Jiansheng with Yiwu Customs.
Song noted that at Yiwu Port -- the city's main gateway for small commodities -- more than 1,200 containers are sealed and cleared daily.
Cai Qinliang, secretary general of the Yiwu Christmas Products Industry Association, believes that continuous product innovation and increased R&D investment have strengthened the sector's export resilience.
For long, constant innovation is key to keeping old clients and winning new ones, helping them stay ahead of market trends and build a differentiated edge.
Companies and vendors in Yiwu are also actively exploring new markets. Customs data shows that Latin America and the European Union have become major export destinations, collectively receiving more than 70 percent of Yiwu's Christmas exports in the first seven months of this year.
"Our Christmas sales grew about 5 percent in the first half," said Jiang Jiangping, manager of Yiwu Junhong Christmas Costumes & Gifts Factory, adding that the number of buyers from Colombia and Mexico saw a fourfold leap from last year.
According to Jiang, Italy remains the company's largest single market, with three orders each topping 1 million yuan in the first half of the year, bringing the total value to near 10 million yuan.
To ensure large volumes of goods are cleared swiftly, Yiwu Customs has upgraded its infrastructure and streamlined its services to ensure that Christmas goods sail smoothly to their destinations. ■
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