Business · Economy · 10 hrs ago
Italian retail sales rose in value but fell in volume in September
Italian retail sales rose in value but fell in volume in September compared with the same month in 2025.
The value of sales increased by 1.6%, while the amount of goods sold fell by 0.1%.
Food sales volumes fell 0.3% from August, as households bought less amid rising prices.
Inflation was above 4% in September and rose from 4.2% that month to 5.4% in October.
Higher prices are squeezing household spending, while online sales are growing faster than the overall market.
In September, online sales rose 8.5% in value and 7.1% in volume, while small shops saw sales volumes fall 1.2% from a year earlier.
Small shops continue to lose ground, and a retail trade association described the trend as structural.
Parliament is considering the budget bill, which a retail association hopes will support household purchasing power and business investment.
Italian retail sales in September rose 1.6% in value but fell 0.1% in volume compared with September 2025.
Food sales rose 1.7% in value and fell 0.1% in volume, while non-food sales rose 1.5% in value and fell 0.2% in volume.
Food sales volume was down 0.3% from August, according to the data reported by ANSA.
ANSA said inflation rose from 4.2% in September to 5.4% in October.
Online sales rose 8.5% in value and 7.1% in volume in September, while small retailers’ sales volume fell 1.2% from a year earlier.
- Who
- Italian retailers and consumers, as reflected in Istat retail sales data.
- What
- Retail sales rose in value but fell in volume in September compared with a year earlier.
- When
- September; the figures were reported on November 5, 2026.
- Where
- Italy.
- Why
- ANSA linked the fall in volume to rising prices and inflation, which can lead consumers to buy smaller quantities.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Retail sales rose in value but fell in volume compared with September 2025.
Inflation rose to 5.4%, up from 4.2% in September.
ANSA published its report on September retail sales.
- Overall sales value
- Up 1.6% year on year in September
- Overall sales volume
- Down 0.1% year on year in September
- Food sales volume
- Down 0.3% from August
- Online sales
- Up 8.5% in value and 7.1% in volume in September
- Small retailers’ sales volume
- Down 1.2% year on year in September
What people are saying
are weighing like a boulder on Italians’ pockets
a country at a standstill
a weak trend in consumption, penalized by an economic environment that continues to be characterized by a high level of uncertainty
the stagnation in sales recorded in September is perfectly in line with the slowdown in the economy in the third quarter