GUANGZHOU, June 27 (Xinhua) -- South China's Guangdong Province saw its retail sales grow 7 percent year-on-year in the Jan.-May period, local authorities said Thursday.

Total retail sales of consumer goods hit 1.7 trillion yuan (about 248 billion U.S. dollars) in the period, data from the provincial statistics bureau showed.

The growth pace was 0.3 percentage points higher than the growth in the first four months, signaling continued strength in consumption.

The province's retail sales of communication equipment rose 15 percent in the first five months, thanks to strong online sales during the May Day holiday.

As one of China's economic powerhouses, Guangdong recorded a 6.8 percent GDP growth to reach 9.73 trillion yuan last year. The province set a target of 6 to 6.5 percent economic growth this year.