The first CIIE U-Fair, an extension of the China International Import Expo for individual consumers, kicked off in Shanghai's National Exhibition and Convention Center on Friday.
Dubbed a "mini CIIE", the U-Fair is expected to attract around 3,000 company purchasers as well as 80,000 consumers over the course of three days.
Offerings at the U-Fair include food, home appliances, automobiles, beauty products, agricultural products, pet supplies, jewelry and over-the-counter drugs. More than 700 companies from over 60 countries are selling at the fair, including multinational industry leaders such as L'Oreal and Lexus.
According to Wu Zhengping, deputy director of the CIIE bureau, products which made their debut at this year's CIIE have also been made available to professional buyers and individual consumers at the U-Fair.
"The trading activity seen at this year's CIIE has become a shopping spree at the U-Fair," Wu said.
Prospective deals agreed at last month's 8th CIIE reached a new record of $83.49 billion.
