In March, retail sales showed no significant changes compared to the previous month, equal to -0.1%. The only change is a slight increase in the sales of food goods (+0.2% in value and +0.1% in volume), while non-food goods suffered a modest decrease (-0.3% in value and in volume). volume). Compared to the same month last year there is a 2% increase in value and of 0.3% by volume.
These data were highlighted by Istat, which noted growth in both value and volume on a trend basis, mainly due to sales of food goods. According to the Institute, this increase was mainly influenced by the different location of Easter compared to the previous year: in 2024, in fact, it fell in March, while in 2023 it was held in April.
The data: body care products are growing, hardware stores are collapsing
On an annual basis, it is observed that the Grocery sales grew 6.4% in value and 3.6% in volume, while those of non-food products recorded a decrease in both value (-1.5%) and volume (-2%). In the comparison between quarters, as regards food goods, there was no change in value and a decrease in volume was recorded (-0.6%), while for non-food goods there was a decrease both in value than in volume (-0.1% and -0.2% respectively).
As regards non-food goods, heterogeneous trend variations are observed between the different product groups. The largest increase concerns i Perfumery and personal care products (+4.3%), moving on to household goods at 2.1% and newspapers and stationery at 1.5%. The largest decline inHousehold tools and hardware (-7.5%).
Regarding the forms of distribution, a increase only in large-scale retail trade (+6.1%), driven mainly by sales of businesses not specializing in food goods (+7.2%). Hypermarkets saw a jump of +8.2% on an annual basis and +4.8% on a quarterly basis, while supermarkets rose to +7.7% and +4.8%.
However, a decrease was recorded for businesses operating on small surfaces (-1.5%), sales outside of shops (-2.6%) and e-commerce (-2.4%).
“In March 2024, compared to the previous month, overall retail sales did not record significant changes. Sales of food goods are slightly increasing while those of non-food goods are suffering a slight decline – comments Istat. – On a trend level, however, there is growth in both value and volume, determined by the sales of food goods, which are significantly affected by the different timing of Easter, which this year fell in the month of March while in 2023 it was in April. Among the forms of distribution, only large-scale retail trade is growing, driven by the sales of non-specialised, predominantly food-based businesses”.
UNC: “Country stopped, families have run out of money”
“The country is at a standstill! After the economic decline in January and the feeble rise in February, sales were stationary in March. In short, they remain at a standstill and do not change. The reason, obviously, is that families, thanks to the inflation of recent years, have run out of money and buy only what is strictly necessary, as demonstrated by the imperceptible increase in food sales in volume, +0.1% and the slight decline of the others, -0.3%” he states Massimiliano Donapresident ofNational Consumers Union.
“As for trend data, the boom in food sales, +3.6% in volume, is only due to the Easter effect, which fell this year in the month of March. In short, it’s just an optical illusion due to the calendar” concludes Dona.
