China's retail sales grew at a slower annual rate of 20.8 percent last month amid easing inflation and weakening consumer sentiment, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said here on Friday.

November retail sales reached 979.08 billion yuan (142.93 billion U.S. dollars). The growth rate was 1.2 percentage points less than in October but 2 percentage points more than last November's increase, said the NBS.

Growth in retail sales has continuously decelerated in recent months. In both September and August, the annualized growth rate was 23.2 percent and in July it was 23.3 percent.

Retail sales in the year to November rose 21.9 percent annually to 9.78 trillion yuan, according to the NBS.

The NBS said urban consumption in November hit 652.8 billion yuan, up 20.3 percent year-on-year, compared with 326.28 billion yuan spent by rural residents, up 21.8 percent.

Wholesale and retail sales last month rose 20.6 percent to 822.62 billion yuan, while catering and hotel activity rose 25.1 percent to 137.66 billion yuan.

Grain and edible oil sales rose 5.9 percent last month from a year earlier, compared with 10.2 percent in October and 28.6 percent in the first three quarters.

Sales of meat, poultry and eggs rose 13.9 percent, clothing sales were up 25.4 percent, daily consumer goods up 12.7 percent and household appliances up 7.5 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2008)