By Wang Lei and Cheng Zhongyu | wuhudaily.cn

Wuhu has been selected as one of 32 cities in the second batch of national pilot cities for retail innovation upgrade, according to a recent announcement by the Ministry of Commerce.

Launched in June 2025, the national pilot program is a key initiative rolled out by the Ministry of Commerce and four other departments to foster high-quality development of the retail sector. Applications for the second batch opened in April, with candidate cities required to have a solid industrial foundation and strong enthusiasm for development. They must draw up a pilot plan in line with the Implementation Plan for the Retail Innovation Upgrade Project, advance innovation-driven retail transformation, explore the "one store, one policy" model to revitalize existing commercial facilities, and foster new consumption scenarios, business forms and models.

The designation marks another national-level pilot qualification in the consumption sector for Wuhu, following its earlier participation in the modern commercial circulation system pilot, the "Three New" consumption pilot (new business forms, models and scenarios), and the auto circulation and consumption reform pilot. It will help the city build a multi-tiered, full-chain matrix of national consumption pilots. Moving forward, Wuhu will prioritize retail digitalization, revitalization of existing commercial assets, and innovation of business forms and models — aiming to close the "last mile" gap in retail terminal upgrading and elevate both its retail innovation capacity and urban consumption dynamism.

Anchored in the agenda to expand domestic demand, Wuhu has built a differentiated path featuring commercial circulation as the foundation, retail innovation as the breakthrough, new-type consumption as the enabler, and automobile consumption as the driver. The influence of its "Wuhu Consumption" brand keeps growing. In 2025, the city's total retail sales of consumer goods reached 212.06 billion yuan, up 5.1 percent year-on-year, underscoring the resilience and dynamism of its consumption market.