Sales, in August -1% in volume. Sangalli: next year -6,5 billion in consumption

The hottest month of the year depresses purchases of consumer goods: fewer food and non-food products in the shopping basket. Preliminary data from Istat on retail sales in August show, year on year, a growth of 0,5% in value and a decline of 1% in volume. The effect of rising prices.

It is feared that in the coming months the price increase, which stood at 4,2% in September, will weigh on the economy.
In July, retail sales of food rose in value by 0,9% and fell in volume by 0,4%. The non-food sector grew in value but declined in volume, by +0,2% and -1,3% respectively.

Tech and online

In this latter category of goods, year-on-year changes varied across product groups. The largest increase concerned IT, telecoms and telephony (+6,7%), while footwear, leather goods and travel items recorded the worst result, -4,1%.

Compared with August 2025, retail sales increased for large-scale distribution, by +1,1% in value and +0,1% in volume, and for online commerce, by +5,4% and +3,6% respectively.

In GDO, in August only discount stores maintained their position. The year-on-year figure for hypermarkets was +0,4% in value and -1% in volume; for supermarkets, +1% and -0,3% respectively; and for discount stores, +1,4% and +0,1%.
The trend for businesses operating on small premises remains critical: -0,7 in value and -2,5% in volume.

Hidden tax

According to Confcommercio president Carlo Sangalli, "The high cost of energy, as the latest data show, has reignited inflation just as consumption and confidence are trying to consolidate. According to our estimates, if the energy crisis were not to ease, in 2027 we would lose 6,5 billion euros in consumption and three tenths of GDP. This year, moreover, businesses in the retail, tourism and catering sectors collectively risk an increase of over one billion in their energy bill. Immediate and structural measures are needed on renewables, sustainable nuclear power, grids, storage and electricity price formation. Energy must not become a hidden tax on growth.”

Savings and consumption

Finally, according to Federdistribuzione, "The still limited level of confidence continues to influence families' purchasing choices, as they showed a greater propensity to save even during the summer sales period. Consumption is particularly affected in sectors such as clothing, accessories and household goods, for which families can more easily postpone or scale back their purchasing decisions. This behaviour reflects the caution with which Italians are facing the current economic phase and contributes to keeping the overall dynamics of domestic demand weak".

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Retail sales, shopping basket down in July (food -1%)

Retail sales, in 2025 volumes -0,6%. E-commerce accelerates, +2,9% in value

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.