Istat: -0.5% in Retail Sales in March, -2.8% Year-on-Year

Milan, May 7 (LaPresse) – In March 2025, retail sales showed a negative month-on-month change both in value and volume (-0.5% for both), according to Istat estimates. Sales declined for both food products (-0.5% in value and -0.9% in volume) and non-food products (-0.3% in value and -0.4% in volume). On a year-on-year basis, in March 2025, retail sales fell by 2.8% in value and 4.2% in volume. In the first quarter of 2025, retail sales dropped by 0.2% in value and 0.5% in volume compared to the previous quarter. The decline affected both food goods (-0.1% in value and -0.5% in volume) and non-food items (-0.4% in value and -0.6% in volume). Among non-food items, only Personal care and perfumery products (+1.8%) and Pharmaceutical products (+0.6%) showed positive year-on-year changes. The sharpest drops were recorded in Stationery, books, newspapers and magazines (-4.5%) and Footwear, leather goods and travel items (-4.2%). Compared to March 2024, retail sales value declined across all distribution channels: large-scale retail (-2.6%), small surface businesses (-3.1%), out-of-store sales (-4.7%), and e-commerce (-1.3%).