Shoppers throughout the West, wary of a double-dip recession, are still pinching their pennies. But Chinese consumers are opening their wallets—big time. According to McKinsey, retail sales in China have grown by 25 percent annually from 2007 to 2009, making the Chinese consumer sector arguably the healthiest of any major economy in the world, says Yuval Atsmon, a consultant in McKinsey's Shanghai office.

On 8/27/10 at 1:00 AM EDT

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jpqsraCfp8BwtdKamJxlo6m8r7E%3D