BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 30 leading Chinese chain businesses recorded a 25 percent jump in combined sales in the first half of this year, a latest government report said.

The commercial reform department of the Ministry of Commerce said in a report that the major chain businesses sold 275.1 billion yuan (34.4 billion U.S. dollars) worth of goods from January to June.

The Shanghai Bailian Group Corp. Ltd. continued to be China's No. 1 commercial group with sales volume reaching 38.4 billion yuan, followed by two household appliance retailers, Gome and Suning.

Bailian said its sales rose 5.2 percent from the same period last year, overshadowed by the 54.8 percent reported by Gome and Suning's 62.4 percent. Enditem