China's commodities hub busy as 2022 Qatar World Cup to open

(ECNS) -- Yiwu, the world's largest commodities hub located in East China's Zhejiang Province, has seen surging export orders as the 2022 Qatar World Cup is about to start.

Shop owners in Yiwu have received global orders of World Cup merchandise from April this year, according to local traders. By mid-October, most of the orders have been delivered.

Export products cover flags, footballs, whistles, and horns, etc.

After the top 32 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup was released, global guests came to place orders, and many were from Qatar, He Jinqi, a local shop owner, told China News Service.

"The best sales in my shop are string flags, which are used for decoration, and the sales volume has increased by about 10 percent," He said.

Another exporter Lu Qing said that each time the World Cup is held, the commodity demand from the host country should increase greatly.

Later, products related to countries that are likely to win the game would also surge following the harsh competition, Lu said.

The sales of World Cup merchandise will rise about 40 percent this year in my shop, said Pan Xiangming, another shop owner in Yiwu.

"Guests from Brazil and Argentina have inquired about my products and currently the sales volume may hit 20,000 items," Pan said.

Data from the local customs indicated that Yiwu had exported sports goods worth 3.82 billion yuan ($529 million) and toys worth 9.66 billion yuan in the first eight months of this year.