Contracts valued at 2 billion yuan (about 300 million U.S. dollars) had been signed by Monday at the Central China Expo here in Anhui Province, its second day.
Organizers said that despite the global downturn, the number of attendees was about twice that of last year's event.
The fourth Central China Expo targeted six central provinces -- Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Henan and Shanxi -- and attracted about 16,000 participants from about 300 multinational companies such as Carrefour and IBM.
Jean Luc Lhuillier, vice president and general manager for Carrefour's operations in central and western China, said he had discussions about new stores with an official from Zhoukou City, Henan Province.
"I will make an appointment with him for an on-the-spot visit to see whether we can open a new store," he said.
The first foreign company to open stores in the capitals of central provinces like Hubei in 1998 and Anhui in 2002, Carrefour will further explore the central China market, he said.
"This year we will open at least one store in Anhui, two in Hubei, one in Henan and one in Hunan," Lhuillier said.