Retail: Istat, retail sales down 0.4 per cent in July, up 0.8 per cent year-on-year
Istat figures show a fall in sales in July compared with June, whilst on a year-on-year basis there was an increase in value despite the fall in volume
In July, at the height of the summer sales, the year-on-year trend in retail sales showed weak consumer spending, against a backdrop characterised by persistent uncertainties triggered by the geopolitical crises in the Middle East, which are driving up energy prices. According to Istat’s figures, retail sales thus recorded year-on-year growth of +0.8 per cent in value terms, accompanied by a decline of -0.6 per cent in volume terms. ‘July 2026 marks the second consecutive monthly decline in retail sales, both in value and volume,’ emphasised the National Institute of Statistics when commenting on the sales figures. On a year-on-year basis, there has been a slowdown in growth by value for both the food and non-food sectors, whilst volumes have fallen. Again on a year-on-year basis, in July retail sales increased, both by value and by volume, exclusively in the large-scale retail and e-commerce sectors.”In particular, in July, compared with the previous month, retail sales fell both in value (-0.4 per cent) and in volume (-0.5 per cent). Sales of food products (-0.4% by value and -0.5% by volume) and non-food products (-0.4% and -0.7% respectively) were both down. By contrast, in the May–July 2026 quarter, on a quarter-on-quarter basis, retail sales rose in value terms (+0.2 per cent) and fell in volume terms (-0.1 per cent). Sales of food products fell in value (-0.1%) and in volume (-0.3%), whilst those of non-food products rose (+0.4% in value and +0.1% in volume). On a year-on-year basis, in July 2026, food sales increased in value (+0.3 per cent) and fell in volume (-1.0 per cent), as did sales of non-food goods (respectively +1.1 per cent and -0.2 per cent).As regards non-food goods, year-on-year changes varied across product groups. The largest increase was seen in household appliances, radios, televisions and recorders (+6.1 per cent) and other products (+5.0 per cent), whilst footwear, leather goods and travel goods recorded the sharpest decline (-2.8 per cent).Compared with July 2025, retail sales rose for large-scale retailers (+1.6% by value and +0.6% by volume) and online retail (up 2.4% and 1.6% respectively).
