Italian retail sales growth accelerates in December

Italian retail sales rose in the month of December. According to ISTAT, the estimates of retail trade rose 0.5 percent sequentially in terms of value as well as in terms of volume. In the fourth quarter, the estimates show no growth, as the value of sales stayed stable and the volume of sales rose 0.1 percent quarter-on-quarter. On a year-on-year basis, the value and volume of retail sales rose 0.9 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

Total sales of large scale distribution rose a bit by 0.1 percent year-on-year, while small scale distribution dropped 0.9 percent. On a year-on-year basis, online sales greatly rose in the month, reaching its highest peak in the year 2019 at 38.3 percent.

With regard to non-food products, the largest growths were seen for computers and telecommunications equipment and shoes, leather goods and travel items. Meanwhile, the largest falls were seen in pharmaceutical products and stationary, books, newspapers and magazines.

Looking at annual growth rates of retail trade, the whole of 2019 rose 0.8 percent. Internet sales recorded considerable growth in 2019, rising at a rapid pace of 18.4 percent year-on-year.