China’s Yiwu sees rising demand for sporting goods as Paris 2024 draws near

A customer poses with licensed products at the first Paris 2024 official flagship store in Paris, France, Nov. 15, 2022. Photo: Xinhua

Yiwu, the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities in East China's Zhejiang Province is embracing another surge in orders for sporting goods as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is drawing near, and some vendors said their recent sales had jumped by 20 percent year-on-year driven by orders from France.

Ye Demo, a representative from Yiwu-based Jinzun Trophy told the Global Times on Tuesday that the orders of trophies started to increase from February this year, and current orders have hit 400,000.

Our best sellers are various trophies and medals ordered from Europe, and sales are rising 20 percent year-on-year, Ye said, adding that French buyers are currently the biggest client, followed by the UK and Netherlands.

He noted that the delivery date has been extended to June and that his company's current capacity can satisfy the surging demand.

In addition, local vendors have also quickly responded to a diversified market. Guo Huiping, a foreign trade goods supplier said glow sticks in red, white and blue, the colors of French national flag, were a hit in the market, according to a report by China Media Group.

"The new glow stick has the longest duration time for nearly 10 hours, and we have received orders for about 100 boxes of the products," Guo said.

Data from Yiwu customs showed that the city's exports to France stood at 540 million yuan ($74.63 million) in January to February this year, surging by 42.1 percent year-on-year. Notably, Yiwu's exports for sporting goods reached 1.7 billion yuan, increased by 70.5 percent year-on-year.

As the world's manufacturing center for small commodities, Yiwu has always been shouldering the responsibility of supplying various consumer goods and items during large international sports events.

Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will kick off on July 26, 2024, and conclude on August 11. Some of the games will start from July 24.