Italy

Surface care suffered a third consecutive year of declining volume sales in 2023, in contrast to the surge in demand seen in 2020. The advent of the COVID-19 virus in Italy had a very strong positive impact on retail sales in both volume and current…

Consistent with trends across home care generally, volume sales of toilet care products declined in 2023. As inflation continued to rise, placing household incomes under intense pressure, consumers started to trade down to cheaper products. This…

Apparel and footwear specialists continued to record single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 as the category continued on the path to recovery. Despite this sales remained lower than pre-pandemic levels as elevated inflation and a sharp…

It was another tough year for appliances and electronics specialists in Italy in 2023 with the category seeing a decline in current value terms for the second consecutive year. Sales slumped in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 before recording a…

Trends in hospitals and the healthcare system in Italy have been influencing the performance of away-from-home (AFH) tissue and hygiene through 2023. In 2022, Italy faced an increase in hospitalisations for health issues other than those connected to…

The geopolitical developments of 2022 and 2023 have had a big impact on retail in Italy. Russia's war in Ukraine continued in 2023 with no sign of resolution at the time of writing, while the emergence of further instability in other parts of the…

After two years of solid growth, direct selling experienced a decline in current value terms in 2023. However, performances varied within direct selling in 2023 with some categories continuing to perform well in 2023, but especially those with a…

Despite the easing of inflationary pressures in Italy over 2023, price increases and thus inflation rates remained high in the country. Therefore, price and value remained the most pressing concerns for many consumers when choosing to shop for their…

General merchandise stores recorded dynamic double-digit growth in current value terms in 2022 with department stores and variety stores both seeing elevated sales. This performance was backed by a renewed sense of optimism as concerns around the…

Health and beauty specialists saw moderate growth in current value terms in 2023, although this was largely the result of price inflation rather than an increase in demand. When it comes to pharmacies small and independent players account for most…

Home products specialists saw healthy growth in current value terms in 2023 albeit this was largely due to the impact of inflation rather than a significant increase in demand. Consumers continued to invest in their domestic spaces in 2023 with this…

Although more stable than in the previous year, inflation rates still remained high in Italy in 2023 with the price of food and other grocery and non-grocery items continuing to rise. In the context of high inflation, hypermarkets continued to…

The rise of pharmacies as “information hubs” in 2023 is connected to the performance of menstrual care in Italy. Indeed, pharmacies are increasingly becoming hubs for female consumers, around different topics, and including sensitive subjects. For…

Value growth in nappies/diapers/pants maintained its performance in Italy in 2023, supported by inflationary pressures which have pushed up unit prices. That said, consumers in Italy remain resistant to lowering the quality of the nappies/diapers…

Italy’s ageing population continued to support value sales in retail adult incontinence in 2023. Here we also note cross-category trends which focus on wellbeing and helping to enhance the quality of consumers’ lives and their overall holistic…

Retail e-commerce in Italy posted a relatively moderate increase in current value terms in 2023, with growth largely driven by foods, beverages and beauty products. After a steep increase in market penetration of fast moving consumer goods sold…

High inflation rates continued to negatively affect producers, distributors, and most importantly consumers in 2023, despite inflation being slightly more stable than in the previous year. Indeed, as issues in the supply chain, logistical space, and…

Value sales in retail tissue were supported by inflationary pressures surrounding the paper industry in Italy in 2023. The paper industry is highly energy intensive, including in terms of water volumes used, thus costs have skyrocket for…

Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence remained in a slump in Italy in 2023, as the government continues to reduce its spending in the healthcare system. In 2024, public expenditure in hospitals and so-called “Community Health Houses” will be further…

Smal local grocers continued to suffer from fierce competition from other retailers in 2023, including larger format grocery retailers, but especially discounters. Despite this, small local grocers maintained a positive growth trajectory in current…

Supermarkets is the grocery retailers channel with the highest penetration in Italy and it saw moderate growth in current value terms in 2023 as inflation started to show signs of stabilising, albeit prices continued to rise. Aside from the impact of…

Tissue and hygiene continued to see healthy value growth in Italy in 2023, supported by inflationary pressures which have pushed up unit prices. Meanwhile, this same inflationary environment is causing price-sensitivity in consumers, thus, many…

Vending saw strong growth in current value terms in 2023 for the third straight year with sales seeing an almost full recovery to pre-pandemic levels. Drinks and tobacco vending, the most important category, also saw strong growth in 2023. The return…

Consumers’ remained price-sensitive in Italy in 2023, which translates into the popularity of discounter stores for products such as wipes. Indeed, non-food discounter stores offer lower prices for many basic and essential products, which is notable…

Renowned Italian coffee brand Lavazza made a significant contribution towards sustainability with the launch of its first-ever carbon-neutral flexible aluminium capsules for fresh coffee pods compatible with Nespresso Original machines. By combining…

While the 1,500ml bottle is the most popular size in bottled water and 500ml is the most widely used size among the smaller pack types in this category, there has been strong growth recorded by smaller pack sizes in bottled water, such as 250ml or…

Sales of cat food recorded moderate volume growth across all categories in 2023. This was accompanied by strong growth in current value terms which was largely the result of elevated inflation and price increases introduced by retailers and companies…

Sales of dog food recorded modest growth in retail volume terms in 2023 but this this was still relatively impressive given the economic challenges facing many owners and the impact of significant price rises on the market. The price increases seen…

Other pet food registered a slight decline in retail volume terms in 2023 although this was supplemented by an increase in current value terms, with value growth boosted by price increases implemented by companies in response to rising costs. Despite…

Pet care was among the hardest hit industries by inflation and general price increases in Italy, at least in the first half of 2023. However, these price increases were not seen across the board in all distribution channels, with the biggest…

The cat litter category has evolved a lot over the years and continues to do so. Manufacturers and consumers of cat litter are increasingly favouring products with sustainable materials and options which provide greater comfort to cats. As seen in…

Toys and games in Italy proved to be a robust industry in 2023, despite the declining value sales of some traditional toy and game products. With the rate of inflation falling slightly, consumer spending showed some improvement for affordable…

Consumer demand for traditional toys and games continued to decline in Italy in 2023, as the tough economic climate in Italy and high costs of living forced families to reign in expenditure. Games and puzzles and plush registered the best performance…

Static consoles were a key driver of value growth in video games in Italy during 2023, as there had been a delay in product deliveries to Italy during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing console brands are still perceived as relatively new by…

Baby and child-specific products continued to see current value growth in 2023, following on from the recovery seen in the post-pandemic period, with growth supported by the strong price increases seen across the various categories. With high…

Bath and shower saw strong growth in current value terms in 2023 but this was mainly due to significant price increases from most players. Soaring inflation led to a substantial increase in production costs which was subsequently reflected in the…

Beauty and personal care in Italy saw high single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, with sales favoured by being a year without major disruptions, with 2022 being affected by various negative events. These included the prohibition of…

Colour cosmetics continued to show double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 in line with the previous year. While face masks were still worn in many situations in 2022, they were discarded by most people in 2023 as all remaining…

Deodorants saw dynamic double-digit growth in current value terms in Italy in 2023. While most of the beauty and personal care products sales were primarily boosted by price hikes, deodorants stood out as it achieved positive growth in volume terms…

Sales of depilatories saw a positive performance in both volume and current value terms in 2023. Demand for these products was sustained by consumers continuing to return to their more active lifestyles, following the end of the pandemic, with 2023…

Sales of fragrances saw a quick recovery returning to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022 in both value and volume terms. Fragrances continued to show a similar trend in 2023 with double-digit growth in current value terms as well as steady growth…

Hair care experienced robust growth in current value terms in 2023, with this being driven by significant price hikes across all categories. This surge can be attributed to inflationary pressures, which prompted major brands to raise their selling…

Mass beauty and personal care registered strong growth in current value terms in 2023, with this coming on the back of high price increases. With inflation raising production costs most players were pushed to raise their prices. High inflation not…

Men’s grooming recorded dynamic growth in current value terms for the third consecutive year in 2023, mainly led by significant price hikes across all product categories. This surge can be attributed to inflationary pressures, which prompted…

Oral care saw steady growth in current value terms in 2023 driven largely by significant price increases. In terms of unit price growth, toothpaste recorded among the most notable increases in 2023, followed by dental floss, denture care and…

Premium beauty and personal care registered double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, following a similar trend seen in 2022. Growth was driven by the dynamism of premium facial make-up and skin care with these categories benefiting from…

Skin care dynamic growth in current value terms in 2023, registering stronger growth than that seen in the previous year. The category continued to perform well despite the challenging economic environment thanks in part to skin care routines…

Sun care saw a slow start to the year in 2023 due to a milder than usual spring and a belated start of the summer. However, the summer season started to pick up from July onwards, with sun care sales performing extremely well in the key month of…

Gardening in Italy saw a significant decline in sales in 2023 which was in part due to the erratic weather which was linked to the impact of climate change. The country experienced severe droughts followed by heavy rains, creating a challenging…

Home and garden saw slower growth in current value terms in 2023 compared to the previous two years, with this being driven by a combination of factors. Economic uncertainty and inflation played a significant role, leading to an increase in list…