Italy

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Meal kits are becoming increasingly popular among Italian consumers. This trend is winning over more and more people because it offers many advantages. First, meal kits are very convenient and practical because they save time and effort. There is no…

Cooking and table sauces has been particularly impacted by the high inflation that has hit Italy in 2022/2023, with the price of mayonnaise, for instance, spiralling upwards. The increase in the price of sunflower oil, a key ingredient in the…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Pre-paid cards continued to be one of the most popular types of financial card in Italy, particularly in the case of young adults or those without a bank account. However, as with other financial cards, the rise of contactless payments expanded usage…

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…

Even bottled water sales are falling into a slump in off-trade volume terms in 2023, although this is expected to be remedied over the coming years as the category inches its way back into small, expected, positive growth. The same cross-category…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The performance of hot drinks in Italy in 2023 is being strongly affected by inflationary pressures. Within this context, volume sales are sluggish while value sales are supported by rising unit prices. In addition to inflationary pressures, coffee…