Italy

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…

Value growth in home care in Italy in 2023 was primarily supported by high inflation, bringing up unit prices as volume sales slowed or declined. Though pandemic-related fears of virus infection through surface contact have waned, Italian consumers…

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…

In 2022, the main trend in the packaging industry in Italy was a strong emphasis on sustainable and eco-friendly packaging solutions. Italy, like many countries, is experiencing growing concerns about environmental issues, prompting a shift in…

Personal accessories continued to perform very well in Italy in 2023, seeing sales rise across categories as Italian consumers returned fully to normal life after the long years of the pandemic. At the same time, travelling, going out and working…

In 2023, fruit growers faced numerous challenges related to climate change. For example, severe flooding affected many growing areas in regions in the central north such as Emilia-Romagna, which lost a large part of its cherry crops. This situation…

Home improvement in Italy experienced slower growth in current value terms in 2023 compared to the previous year. This downward trend was largely influenced by Italy’s popular 'Superbonus 110%' scheme, introduced in 2020, which offers homeowners a…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Demand for laundry care products continued to fall in Italy in 2023, as consumers maintained the less rigorous washing and sanitation regimes practised pre-pandemic. Reduced anxiety over catching the virus, along with rising electricity costs and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Jewellery performed well in Italy in 2023 despite a high rate of inflation and an increase in prices, especially for fine jewellery, which saw stronger growth than custom jewellery in both volume and value terms during the year. In fact, the…

After a 2022 marked by a drop in consumption in retail volume terms, the pulses category returned to growth in Italy during 2023. This positive signal involved both the production and consumption of pulses in the country. On the production side,…

Sunglasses is set to see slight current value growth in Italy in 2024. After two years of double-digit growth in both value and volume terms, sunglasses sales, since 2023, have returned to their historical sluggish growth pattern represented by…

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…

Italians are passionate about outdoor cooking and grilling and enjoy using barbecues throughout all seasons. Despite seasonal fluctuations, the market peaks in spring, particularly around Easter, with summer close behind due to national holidays and…

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…

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…

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 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…

In recent years, the meat category in Italy has been going through an uncertain phase, especially regarding supply. Several factors, such as high breeding costs and feed shortages, are negatively affecting the development of the meat category.…

After the negative events that characterised 2022, including the war following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and high rates of inflation, retail volume sales of fresh food started to grow again in Italy in 2023. Italian consumers continued to…

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…

Tobacco in Italy in 2023 continued to perform well in value terms, despite rising costs caused by inflationary pressures, reduced disposable consumer incomes, and various measures taken to curb the practice of smoking overall. In fact, was something…

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…

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…

Like all other fresh food categories, the nuts category has been greatly affected by problems related to the entire production chain. General increases in production and transportation costs, including the significant increase in shipping costs, have…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

As consumers look for new and innovative ways to save money, they try to save as much as they can by cutting expenses on anything that is not considered a strict necessity. Polishes oftentimes fall into this basket, considering that priority is…

Volume sales of bleach continued to decline in 2023, although demand remained above pre-pandemic levels. Increasingly viewed as an old-fashioned product, bleach enjoyed a major resurgence in 2020, due to its well-recognised sanitising properties,…

2022 was a difficult year for the vegetables category, as there was a drop in volume terms resulting from several factors, including a high rate of inflation and rising energy costs. The high rate of inflation led to an increase in vegetable prices,…

Sales of spectacles are set to see continued current value growth in Italy in 2024, with growth being supported by the recovery in Italians’ purchasing power. Indeed, the spectacles category is expected to see volume sales grow faster than in the…

Homewares saw stable growth in current value terms in 2023, buoyed by several contributing factors. Italy’s expanding middle class and increasing urbanisation have led to a growing demand for homewares as more people seek to create comfortable and…

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…