According to reports in local media, Fujian province plans to build 3,000 rural retail stores in 2010, including 320 in Fuzhou and 666 in Zhangzhou.

These rural stores are reportedly rural supermarkets and convenience stores. However, unlike general supermarkets and convenience stores, these rural stores will be responsible for purchasing agricultural products from local farmers while selling goods back to them.

Under the requirements of the government, a town-level rural store should have a business area of over 200 square meters, over 1,500 kinds products, and a computer cash register system that connects to the network of the headquarters; and a village-level rural store should have a business area that is no less than 30 square meters.

An official from Fujian Provincial Economic and Trade Commission said that according to Fujian's rural store construction plan for 2010, each rural store will gain a CNY4,000 subsidy from the central government. For rural product distribution centers, each of them will gain a financial support of up to CNY550,000.