Italy Retail Sales Unexpectedly Flat in April

Italy’s retail sales were flat month-on-month in April 2026, below market expectations of a 0.2% rise and slowing from a 0.8% increase in the previous month. Sales growth eased for food products (0.2% vs 0.9% in March), while sales of non-food products declined (-0.2% vs 0.7%). On an annual basis, retail sales grew by 1.6% in April, easing from an upwardly revised eleven-month high of 3.8% in the previous month, weighed by slower sales of both food (0.6% vs 4.3%) and non-food products (2.6% vs 3.3%). Among non-food items, sales increased across almost all product groups except for games, toys, sports, and camping (-0.8%), while the largest gain was recorded in pharmaceutical products (5.2%). The value of retail sales rose sharply for e-commerce (8.4%) and small retail outlets (2.3%), while increases were more modest for out-of-store trade (1.3%) and large-scale distribution (0.7%).

Italy's retail sales increased 0.8% month-on-month in March 2026, rebounding after a 0.1% decline in February and firmly above market expectations of a 0.4% contraction. Marking the fastest growth in nearly a year, sale increases were broad-based. Food sales growth rebounded to 0.9% following a 0.4% decline in the previous month, while non-food sales growth accelerated to 0.7% from 0.3%, particularly for IT, telecommunications, and telephone equipment (8.6%). In contrast, sales declined for footwear, leather goods, and travel goods (-1.3%). On an annual basis, retail sales increased by 3.7%, supported by e-commerce (11.2%) and increases in both food sales (4.3% versus 1.8%) and non-food sales (3.3% versus 1.4%).

Italy’s retail sales increased by 0.6% month-on-month in January 2026, more than market expectations of a 0.2% rise and rebounding from a revised 0.7% fall in the previous month. Sales rebounded for both food (1.1% vs -0.8% in December) and non-food products (0.2% vs -0.7%). On an annual basis, retail sales grew by 2.3%, the biggest gain in nine months, following a revised 1.1% increase in December, driven by higher sales of food (3.9% vs 2.0%) and non-food products (1.2% vs 0.4%). Among non-food items, sales went up for almost all product groups, notably in IT, telecommunications, and telephone equipment (3.9%), while the largest drop was seen in footwear, leather goods, and travel goods (-2.2%). The value of retail sales rose sharply for large-scale distribution (4.1%) and e-commerce (4.6%), while it grew modestly for small retail outlets (0.2%) and dropped for out-of-store trade (-1.7%).