China's FMCG sector saw 16 per cent growth in 2010 : Kantar

RT-Mart, a Taiwan-based hypermarket chain operator, was the largest retailer, holding 6.1 per cent value share within the hypermarket and supermarket sector for over 40 weeks until 31 December 2010.

However, in the fourth quarter, the Walmart Group took the top position with a share of 7.5 per cent, followed by CR Vanguard at 6.7 per cent.

The French retail giant Carrefour continued to struggle with its performance in 2010, showing a stagnant share trend in the last three quarters. Faced with intensified local competition, Carrefour started to retrench in some cities by closing poorer performing stores.

CR-Vanguard, while continuing its expansion into the high-end sector with its Ole premium brand in key cities, maintained its strength in the mass market by opening more than 400 stores across the country in 2010. Zhongbai, another key local player based in central China's Hubei Province, also reported a 0.3 per cent share point gain in Q4 by accelerating its store opening in central China provinces. Both benefited from their aggressive lower tier city expansion strategies.