Italy Retail Sales Edge Up in May

Italy's retail sales rose 0.2% month-on-month in May 2026, following a flat reading in April and exceeding market expectations for a 0.1% increase. Both food and non-food sales increased by 0.2% from the previous month, with non-food sales accelerating from a 0.1% gain in April. On an annual basis, retail sales grew 2.2% in May, up from an upwardly revised 1.7% in the previous month. Food sales accelerated to 2.0% year-on-year from 0.4%, while non-food sales growth eased to 2.2% from 2.8%. Among non-food categories, nearly all product groups posted annual gains, led by household appliances, radios, televisions, and audio equipment, which rose 4.9%, while durable and non-durable household goods was the only category to decline, falling 0.2%. By distribution channel, retail sales increased across all formats except out-of-store sales, which fell 2.1% from a year earlier.

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%).