John Malfenti – The evolution of trade in Lombardy and particularly in Brescia reflects a global trend, where the e-commerce giants push brick-and-mortar stores ever closer to the edge. In the first three months of 2024, the province of Brescia witnessed the disappearance of 118 retail businesses, an average of almost 9 fewer stores each week.
Confesercenti of Eastern Lombardy has revealed that while traditional shop windows are closing, the The number of e-commerce deliveries has seen a real boom. It is expected that by 2024 they will reach an astonishing 16 million in the Brescia area alone, with an average of around 1,798 parcels delivered every hour.
This migration from physical to digital commerce has not only transformed the urban landscape, but has also significantly eroded the tax base, worsening the financial situation of local authoritiesSince 2014, the Italian commercial sector has lost over 92,000 businesses, leading to a cumulative loss of approximately 5.2 billion euros in taxes. Local taxes such as IMU, TARI and Irpef have seen the greatest reductions, with a devastating impact on taxation and public services.
Faced with this situation, Confesercenti supports a new regional bill in Lombardy, which aims to treat delivery logistics centers with the same criteria as large-scale retail trade. “The bill lays the foundation for careful planning and evaluation of logistics settlements, with special attention to the environment and public health,” said Barbara Quaresmini, President of Confesercenti Lombardia Orientale.
The aim is to harmonise urban planning at the supra-municipal level and to ensure that the environmental impact of deliveries is balanced by sustainability measures. This is essential, because The increase in deliveries has contributed significantly to air pollution and CO2 emissionsespecially in densely populated urban areas. While e-commerce offers undoubted advantages in terms of convenience and choice, it brings with it significant challenges that need to be managed wisely. The disappearance of stores is not only an economic loss but also a cultural and social one, threatening the fabric of local communities and the human interaction that these spaces foster. Brescia’s response to this crisis will be critical to the future of commerce in the region, with implications that could extend far beyond its borders.
