PADUA – Whether they are aware of it or not, illegal counterfeiting and crime cost the commercial world of Padua half a billion euros in a year. This is what the analysis says Format Research which has explored the market trying to bring to light the hidden fact, not only of conscious purchases of fake brands, but also of products ordered on the web thinking that they are original and which in fact are not official.
THE DATA
The Confcommercio investigation found that, in 2023, illegality cost Italian commercial and public businesses 38.6 billion euros and put 268 thousand regular jobs at risk. «This means that in Veneto the deadweight loss was around 2.5 billion and that the jobs lost reached the figure of around 18 thousand – he explains Riccardo Capitaniopresident of Federmoda Confcommercio Veneto and Ascom Padova – As far as the city of the Saint is concerned, this means that the deadweight loss is 500 thousand euros and the jobs lost, between the city and the province, are just under 4 thousand”.
THE SYSTEM
Here they are, therefore, the tentacles that suffocate the world of commerce. They range from illegal commercial activity to that in the restaurant industry, passing through counterfeiting, shoplifting and cyber crime, still latent but rapidly expanding.
SILENCE ON WEAR
«At a national level – declares Capitanio – entrepreneurs perceive usury as the fastest growing phenomenon, followed by theft, aggression, violence and acts of vandalism. Unfortunately, in the Padua area, usury, either out of shame or out of fear of retaliation, struggles to emerge even if we are certain that the phenomenon exists. The concern that market service operators have towards personal safety is more concrete and verifiable, which then means concern for the safety of family members, collaborators and, ultimately, for the continuation of the activity”. However, if you look at the ranking of immediate and verifiable “dangers”, illegal activity and counterfeiting have no rivals.
IN DIFFICULTY
Seen from the business side, a survey by Federmoda Veneto and Padua establishes that 7 out of 10 companies consider themselves damaged by illegal practices and counterfeiting. Direct consequence of the presence of fake products on the market but also on the web, where scams are increasingly sophisticated and unfair competition ends up reducing revenues.
«On the other hand – adds Capitanio – as long as national statistics tell us that one consumer in four buys a counterfeit product or an illegal service without feeling particularly guilty, perhaps even just for economic reasons, it will also be difficult to convince consumers More than often, serious health risks are hidden behind a counterfeit product, given that seizures by the financial police almost always end up identifying items with strong presences of formaldehyde”.
CUSTOMERS
A risk especially run by the approximately 7 out of 10 consumers who buy clothing online (6 out of 10 of that 70%) and then leather goods and footwear (3 out of 10).
It’s not good even for electronic products (almost 7 out of 10 are enchanted by the low-cost product), just as 6 out of 10 are those who trust buying perfumes and cosmetics or over-the-counter medicines for which there is no guarantee or production or provenance.
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