China's top 100 retail companies were estimated to have cut 1.63 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2009 as their combined power consumption was 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours less than that in 2008.

The Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday in an online statement that the power consumption reduction for the nation's top 100 retail enterprises represents a 16-percent year-on-year decline.

According to data from the China Chain Operation Association, the combined sales of China's top 100 retail companies rose 13.5 percent from one year earlier to 1.36 trillion yuan ($200.3 billion) in 2009, accounting for 11 percent of the nations' annual retail sales.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2010)