GUANGZHOU - South China's Guangdong province saw its retail sales grow 7.6 percent year-on-year in the January-July period, local authorities said Tuesday.

Total retail sales of consumer goods hit 2.4 trillion yuan ($334 billion) in the period, according to the provincial statistics bureau.

The food and beverage industry has become the biggest engine driving the province's retail sales, which saw revenue growth of 10.2 percent year-on-year over the period.

The province's retail sales of gold and silver jewelry, office supplies, and traditional Chinese and Western medicines also saw growing revenue thanks to online sales and promotions.

Guangdong recorded a retail sales growth of 7.7 percent in the first half of the year. Communication equipment, traditional Chinese and Western medicines and office supplies all saw double-digit growth.

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.