Italy

Financial cards and payments performed well in Italy in 2023, both in terms of the number of cards in circulation and the value of transactions. Growth was underpinned by the growing trend towards cashless payments, even for smaller amounts, thanks…

Eyewear is expected to record low single-digit growth in current value terms in Italy in 2024. Growth is set to be supported by Italian consumers’ recovery in purchasing power. Indeed, most categories’ volume sales are expected to see growth on the…

Standard eye care is set to continue benefiting from the increasing amount of time consumers are spending in front of digital screens. Sales are expected to deliver steady growth in current value terms in 2023, with this being boosted by unit price…

Tourist visitor levels in Italy were seen to recover in 2023, despite global macroeconomic pressures such as high inflation and the rapid escalation of living costs. This is an improvement on previous years when the pandemic was preventing people…

Energy drinks is the big winner in 2023, with healthy off-trade volume sales – despite the inflationary pressures which are causing downwards dynamics across much of soft drinks as a whole. This positive performance is being driven by several…

In the eggs category, 2022 was marked by a significant increase in production costs. This increase was mainly attributable to the rise in energy costs, production factors, and especially the surge in feed prices due to the outbreak of the war in…

Olive oil is an important part of the traditional Italian diet but the category has continued to see declining sales in retail volume terms in 2023, although elevated inflation and a sharp rise in prices has ensured the category has continued to see…

In 2023, overall milk consumption is projected to see a slight increase in retail volume sales, led by goat milk, fat-free and semi skimmed shelf stable milk and fat-free fresh milk. However, fresh milk, overall, is set to continue to post a dip in…

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…

Dishwashing in Italy saw strong growth doing the pandemic, but in 2023 sales continued to normalise as consumers continued to return to pre-pandemic routines, spending more time dining in foodservice channels and with friends and family, and less…

During the pandemic eating at home was a necessity with consumers working and studying from home and access to foodservice outlets being restricted. Food preparation and mealtimes represented important occasions for consumers to spend quality time…

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…

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…

Digestive remedies has been one of the most dynamic OTC categories with it being set to see high single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023. This is being fuelled by the dynamic performance of antacids, the largest product category within…

Dietary supplements is set to see strong growth in current value terms in 2023. One major driver of this performance is the dynamic growth being seen in probiotic supplements in 2023, which is set to see the second consecutive year of double-digit…

Dermatologicals is seeing steady single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023. Two of the most important product areas, topical antifungals and vaginal antifungals, are both seeing moderate growth in 2023, although this is largely due to…

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…

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…

The enduring consumer preference for debit cards over credit cards continued throughout 2023, with the former accounting for the more than 10 times the value of the latter in terms of transactions. Such cards are easy to obtain in Italy, as well as…

In 2022 and early 2023, dairy in Italy was particularly affected by price increases due to inflation. This has seen a drop in consumption in some categories, such as butter and spreads. This situation was aggravated by lower milk production in Italy,…

In 2022, flexible aluminium/paper was continuing to gain share in the packaging of butter and spreads as it is perceived as an eco-friendly choice due to its recyclability and lower environmental impact. The aluminium also provides excellent barrier…

Despite a decline in the number of cards in circulation, credit cards in Italy registered dynamic growth in terms of both number of transactions and transaction value in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. This was driven by the growing…

Cough/cold remedies are set to see high single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, with sales likely to benefit from a high number of cases of cold and flu in the 2023/2024 season. Furthermore, value sales will likely also be boosted by unit…

The effects of inflation and the general economic crisis are still evident In Italy in 2023. This is reflected in an increase in current value terms across all categories within cooking ingredients and meals in 2023. However, this is contrasted with…

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…

Contact lenses is set to see mid-single digit growth in current value terms in Italy in 2024, continuing the trend from the previous year, with the category being the most dynamic within eyewear. Growth in the category will be supported by Italians…

Consumer lending in Italy maintained positive, albeit modest growth in current value terms in 2023, as ongoing economic uncertainty led many Italians to retain a cautious attitude towards borrowing. Factors such as high inflation rates, increasing…

Consumer health is set to record moderate single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023. With the pandemic officially over, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Italians are keen to get back to their pre-COVID-19 lifestyles and this…

Consumer foodservice in Italy continued on the path to recovery in 2023 with transaction value exceeding pre-pandemic levels (in current value terms) while the volume of transactions also continued to grow. Nonetheless, with Italy’s economy…

Consumer foodservice saw healthy growth in 2023 in terms of value sales and number of transactions, and the performance was much better than expectations. High inflation and a sharp rise in the cost of living had been expected to limit demand, but…

Consumer electronics is trending downwards in Italy for several reasons. The high rate of inflation prevailing towards the end of the review period and the marked rise in the prices of food and energy have forced consumers to rethink their spending,…

Consumer credit registered positive, albeit modest growth in terms of gross lending and outstanding balance values in Italy in 2023, as ongoing economic uncertainty led many consumers to retain a conservative approach towards borrowing. While the…

In 2022, the newly elected right-wing government in Italy announced restrictions to the stimulus that had been triggering sales of furniture and major appliances in previous years. Consequently, while applications filed prior November 2022 were still…

Flexible packaging dominates confectionery in Italy, offering numerous advantages, such as easier handling and consumption for consumers, and savings on transportation and storage for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. The most popular…

Liquid concentrates manages to perform slightly better than powder concentrates, albeit off-trade volume sales remain in a slight decline, with on-trade performing better thanks to the revival of foodservice. Overall, liquid concentrates have a…

With the COVID-19 crisis, many consumers purchased new computers and peripherals to set up home office spaces or for distance learning, which led to unprecedented peaks in demand. This has been reducing demand for new products over time, given that…

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…

Coffee sales continue to be suppressed in retail volume terms in 2023, due to ongoing inflationary pressures pushing up unit prices. As such, this supports value sales over volume sales. That said, volume has improved from the sharper dips seen in…

Sales in cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Italy were supported by the positive performance of smoking tobacco in 2023. Indeed, smoking tobacco managed to achieve positive volume sales, as well as value sales, due to such products offering a…

Cigarettes in Italy continued to decline in volume terms in 2023, as the number of cigarette smokers diminish. At the same time, the rising tax on cigarettes is pushing up prices, supporting value sales but also acting as a deterrent to cigarette…

Cider/perry saw significant volume growth in Italy in 2023. Indeed, cider/perry was the only alcoholic drinks category to see a positive performance in volume terms in the Italian market in the final year of the review period. The small size of the…

Chocolate confectionery in Italy in 2024 is following the general trend of value being supported over volume due to lingering inflationary pressures. However, any volume challenges in subcategories are being balanced by the popularity of seasonal…

Childrenswear suffered a disruption, but less so compared with menswear and womenswear, in 2020, in the wake of the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). This was partly because parents tend to prioritise goods for their children, but also because…

The price of cheese in Italy has risen considerably towards the end of the review period. Higher pricing has been affected by several factors. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic crisis, its aftermath, and the outbreak of war in Ukraine have had…

Charge cards continued to register a healthy performance in 2023, with a rise in the number and value of transactions. This was linked to the growing popularity of cashless transactions, as consumers become increasing confident about making digital…

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…

Off-trade volume sales of carbonates have fallen into a slump in 2023, due to three main factors. Inflationary pressures, with the associated price hikes and consumer price sensitivity, is one major factor. Within this context many consumers are…

The penetration of medical cannabis continues to increase in the Italian market, with the number of legal patients growing due to the increased availability of supplies in the country. Indeed, thanks to the introduction of new products and several…

Cafés/bars continued on the path to recovery in 2023, with growth being seen in terms of both the number of transactions and the value. Despite this positive performance the number of outlets continued to decline, continuing the pattern seen…

During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, consumers found or rediscovered a passion for cooking/baking and the demand for quality, but also traditional, butter increased. Thus, COVID-19 in Italy saw demand increase strongly as consumers stocked up…