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…

Multivitamins is set to deliver moderate growth in current value terms in 2023, representing a significant slowdown from the growth seen during the pandemic. This slower growth is largely the result of the lower demand for multivitamins positioned…

Sports nutrition looks set to see double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 for the second year running with sales having already exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels. The category had already seen a full recovery in 2022 in Italy after the decline…

With both the ageing of the population – and Italy already has one of the oldest populations in the world – and the general rise in consumer health consciousness, health monitoring has become one of the key features that smart watches have been…

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…

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…

Juice is also seeing an off-trade volume slump in 2023, with a better performance witnessed in on-trade channels. Juice is a very mature category in Italy, which adds another challenging factor to other obstacles affecting the sales of juice (and…

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…

Analgesics is expected to see a single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023. Sales are benefiting from the stable demand for analgesics and unit price increases linked to rising price lists as a result of the higher cost of production faced by…

2022 was a year of overall stagnation for mobility in Italy. The increase in fuel prices, the high inflation in the Eurozone, as well as some persisting health concerns have slowed growth rates across nearly all mobility segments. While light vehicle…

Airlines is seeing strong growth in 2023 both in terms of the number of passengers but also in terms of value sales. New routes, more connections and a stronger presence in Italy is all fuelling the dynamic growth being recorded by airlines, with…

Sales of headphones in Italy are benefiting from the growth of the sports and health industries. As consumers increase their participation in regular sports and physical exercise, they are making greater use of headphones on the go, particularly…

Italy’s high public debt is a threat to stability and negatively affects economic freedom, but anti-corruption legislation has been reinforced. Economic growth is forecast to be subdued, as rising borrowing costs bite, and foreign investment is…

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…

Recycling and reducing food waste is well-established in Italy, and a high proportion of Zero Wasters are willing to pay more for sustainable goods. While the majority of consumers aim to positively impact the planet, over half feel their actions…

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…

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…

Overall, sportswear is expected to see healthy growth in retail current value terms in 2023. All categories of sportswear are predicted to continue their retail current value growth trajectories, albeit at a slower rate, compared with 2021 and 2022.…

Menswear is set to see a strong single-digit rise in retail current value sales over 2023 to exceed the 2019 pre-pandemic level, following the slump recorded in 2020 due to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and fast growth rebounds in both 2021…

Footwear is projected to see healthy, if slower than in 2021 and 2022, retail current value growth and a slight, and similarly slower, retail volume increase over 2023. This is set to enable footwear to slightly exceed its 2019 pre-pandemic retail…

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…

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…

Tourism flows in Italy have performed very well in 2023 with figures expected to come close to pre-pandemic levels in terms of number of trips. The Easter weekend contributed to the recovery of tourism in Italy, with domestic and foreign tourists…

Travel intermediaries and direct suppliers are both seeing strong growth in current value terms in 2023, with strong sales seen through online and offline and in business and leisure. As a result, booking sales are set to see a full return to…

Sales of smartphones have been trending down in volume terms in recent years, as consumers perceive that the latest versions do not incorporate sufficient new and compelling technology to justify the expense of a new product. Lack of inventory due to…

The COVID-19 crisis and the significantly increased amount of time that Italians were forced to spend at home considerably bolstered consumers’ digital engagement. People turned to digital devices for work, study, shopping, entertainment and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Sports drinks is suffering from cross-category factors which are placing downwards pressure on soft drinks sales overall, leading to a strong off-trade volume slump. To start with, sports drinks is a non-essential category, with products…

Inflationary pressures leading to price rises are placing downwards pressure on off-trade volume sales of soft drinks in Italy. Additionally, the poor weather in 2023, especially compared to the heatwaves in 2022, has further suppressed potential…

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 of honey have continued to decline in 2023 in retail volume terms. This decline has mainly been seen in sales of larger jars (over 400g), which represent the largest share of the market. Smaller pack sizes (less than 400g) and single formats…

Jeans is expected to see a low single-digit growth in retail current value terms over 2023, to return to the 2019 pre-Coronavirus (COVID-19) level. Jeans started to recover in 2021, having suffered a downturn with the pandemic, as Italians limited…

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…

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…

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…

Sales of microwaves have declined in retail volume terms in 2023 for the second year running, albeit sales have remained higher than pre-pandemic levels. Italy’s economy has come under severe pressure due to various factors, with this being…

Store cards continued to register a negative performance in 2023, in terms of both the number of cards in circulation and the value of transactions, continuing the trend established during the review period. This was due to strong competition from…

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…

Overall, 2023 was a challenging year for the staple foods sector in Italy, characterised by stagnation in retail sales volumes. However, the market saw considerable current value growth driven by persistent inflationary pressure. During the second…

Hosiery continued on its way towards recovery in 2023, after the steep decline in retail volume and current value sales recorded in 2020. The recovery started in 2021 and continued throughout 2022 as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gradually…

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…

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…

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,…

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 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…

Due to higher energy prices, rising inflation, and a sharp rise in the cost of living Italian consumers have been looking at minimising their expenditure in many ways. This more conservative approach to spending has had a negative impact on overall…

Tea is seeing a more sluggish performance than coffee, with retail volume sales remaining in negative figures and retail value barely managing to achieve a positive result. Foodservice volume, on the other hand, is seeing a healthier performance.…