The three days leading up to May Day Holiday?had a major business boom in the city of Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, with 10 large retail outlets and seven major catering companies increasing sales by 15 percent, year-on-year. These 17 large service companies earned more than 500 million yuan over the brief three-day period, from Sunday to Tuesday, according to the city’s Commerce Bureau, on Thursday.

Some promotional events during the holiday greatly boosted sales, especially retail sales, and at supermarkets, with revenues over the three days at 39 major supermarkets reaching 80 million yuan in all, a raise of 19.3 percent. Small convenience stores showed the largest growth, at 32 percent, to 3.6 million yuan and thanks to the upcoming summer and peak wedding season, clothing sales were up at least 20 percent.

In addition, the city’s 41 electronics malls saw sales go up by 14 percent, to more than 200 million yuan, with flat screen TVs, air conditioners, and computer-related goods doing the best.

Big screen TVs with three-dimensional functions topped the electronics product, with some of the really hot brands all sold out.