GROSSETO. Anticipation is also growing in the province of Grosseto for the first major promotional event of the year. The winter sales will officially kick off Saturday 3 Januaryas established by the Tuscany Region.
Confesercenti: «There is a but…»
As noted by National ConfesercentiHowever, the discounts have already started: according to estimates, almost 2 million consumers in Italy have already purchased discounted products in the “pre-sales” phase, which started immediately after Christmas. A phenomenon, explains Confesercenti, which «is also recorded in our territory, where many businesses – especially in the fashion sector – have received requests and contacts from loyal customers already in the days following the holidays, now increasingly accustomed to the perpetual promotion of online commerce».
The numbers
The Ipsos survey carried out for Confesercenti on the 2025 winter sales confirms the importance of the event, which on a national level generates a turnover estimated at around 6 billion euros. However, the growing anticipation of sales risks diluting the effect of actual sales.
Here Maremma
Even in Maremma, a “de facto” promotional period is consolidated between 26 December and the official start of the sales: reserved offers, initiatives dedicated to regular customers, direct communications and formulas such as “pre-sales”, “winter pre-sales” or “exclusive sales” are becoming more and more frequent, especially offered by shops belonging to large-scale retail chains. A dynamic which, as at a national level, contrasts with regional regulations which prohibit promotions in the 30 or 45 days preceding the sales. The result, underlines Confesercenti, «is a picture of discounts that is increasingly less legible for consumers and more complex for local shops, which find themselves “dragged” in the continuous promotional competition imposed by outlets, large surfaces and online channels».
The analysis
In the fashion sector, in particular, Christmas purchases are compressed between two pressures: Black Friday, which anticipates part of the Christmas demand, and pre-sales, which intercept residual spending. «To this, in our territory – adds Confesercenti – was also added the bad weather of the days preceding Christmas, which penalized the traditional “last minute” in the historic centers and commercial districts».
Per Confesercenti Grosseto it is essential «to bring transparency and fair competition back to the center: prices and discounts must be clear, verifiable and comparable, especially in initiatives aimed at selected audiences or through digital channels. Compliance with the rules on price reduction announcements is equally essential, starting from the “previous price”, which by law must be the lowest charged in the previous 30 days”.
The risk, also for the Maremma commercial fabric, «is that the sales lose their original function and turn into an episode within a continuous promotional season, with confusing effects for consumers and difficulties for businesses that respect the rules».
«We are moving forward – he underlines Francesca Verdipresident of Fismo Confesercenti Grosseto – a battle practically alone as a small business, and we know that it will take time. The war on prices has never made anyone rich: for traders who respect the rules it is like entering an arena without weapons. However, the consumer who has rediscovered the value of the local shop knows that he will find transparency and coherence. This is why it is essential that the rules are respected by everyone. At the same time we must stay in the flow of the market, without appearing like those who resist regardless or swim against the current. Our goal is to continue to convey the real value of our work.”
Also on the topic Andrea Biondiprovincial director of Confesercenti Grosseto: «Sales remain an important moment for neighborhood trade, even in Maremma, but it is clear that the current system needs to be rethought. Our companies respect the rules and ask that everyone do the same, because only in this way can we truly protect the consumer and guarantee fair competition. We invite citizens to choose local shops: quality, relationships and trust are not discounts, but values that last all year round.”
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