China’s high-spending counties emerge as bright spot as domestic demand remains weak

Before Sam’s Club – the American membership-only retailer with status appeal among China’s urban middle class – opened in the lesser-known city of Jingshan in Hubei province, Zhang Liang decided to “bring it there” himself. The former truck driver invested about 600,000 yuan (US$88,969) in May to open a Sam’s Club reseller shop, sourcing goods from authorised Sam’s stores to sell locally. He was betting that consumers in Jingshan, despite its modest population of fewer than 600,000, would pay a.