In one of the largest recruiting drives by a foreign company in China, Avon Products has hired more than 114,000 sales representatives this year, the Financial Times reported. The US company's hiring offensive is a sign of its confidence that Beijing is ready to fully resume direct sales, helping the company shift from retail in China to its usual person-to-person sales strategy. Avon said it was processing more than 31,000 new applications for sales jobs. In February this year, the Ministry of Commerce gave Avon the green light to resume direct selling under a new set of rules issued late last year. Other foreign and domestic firms are also expected to apply to begin large-scale direct selling.