(AGENPARL) - Roma, 5 Maggio 2023 - (AGENPARL) – ven 05 maggio 2023 March 2023
RETAIL TRADE
In March 2023 estimates for seasonally adjusted index of value sales stayed unchanged in the month on month series, while volume dropped by 0.3%.
In the first quarter of 2023 value of sales was up 1.9%, whereas volume of sales decreased by 0.1% when compared with the previous quarter.
In March 2023 value of retail trade continued to grow for the 25th month in a row in the year on year series, rising by 5.8%, while volume sales fell by 2.9%.
In March 2023, when compared with the same month a year earlier, large-scale distribution was up 7.8%, small-scale distribution increased by 3.5% and non-store retail sales was up 4.6%.
Online sales rose by 10.3% in March 2023 when compared with March 2022.
Looking at the value of sales for non-food products, all sectors experienced growth besides Electric household appliances, audio-video equipment (-2.0%). The largest increases were reported for Shoes, leather goods and travel items (+8.4%) and Cosmetic and toilet articles (+8.3%).
CHART 1. RETAIL TRADE, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED INDEX AND three-month moving averageJanuary 2018 – March 2023, value (index, 2015=100)
CHART 2. RETAIL TRADE, month on same month a year ago percentage changes
January 2019 – March 2023, percentage changes in value and volume, non-seasonally adjusted (index, 2015=100)
TABLE 1. Retail trade by marketable goods sector
March 2023, months on previous months and months on same months a year ago percentage changes in value and volume, seasonally adjusted and non-seasonally adjusted (index, 2015=100) (a)
MARKETABLE GOODS SECTOR Months on previous months percentage changes (seasonally adjusted)
Mar23
Feb23 Jan-Mar23
Oct-Dec22
Value Volume Value Volume
Non food 0.0 -0.1 +1.5 -0.1
Total 0.0 -0.3 +1.9 -0.1
Months on same months a year ago percentage changes (non-seasonally adjusted)
Mar23
Mar22 Jan-Mar23
Jan-Mar22
Value Volume Value Volume
Food +7.7 -4.9 +7.7 -4.7
Non food +4.1 -1.3 +4.4 -1.6
Total +5.8 -2.9 +5.9 -3.0
Provisional data
TABLE 2. Retail trade BY MARKETABLE GOODS SECTOR AND CHANNEL OF DISTRIBUTION
March 2023, months on same months a year ago percentage changes in value, non-seasonally adjusted (index, 2015=100) (a)
MARKETABLE GOODS SECTOR AND CHANNEL OF DISTRIBUTION Mar23
Mar22 Jan-Mar23
Jan-Mar22
Large-scale distribution +7.8 +8.0
Food +8.6 +8.8
Non food +5.7 +6.3
Small-scale distribution +3.5 +3.6
Food +5.5 +4.6
Non food +2.7 +3.2
Non-store retail sales +4.6 +4.1
Online sales +10.3 +6.6
Total +5.8 +5.9
(a) Provisional data
CHART 3. Year-on-Year non-food growth rate by product segment
March 2023, months on same months a year ago value (index, 2015=100)
The table below shows routine revisions, calculated as differences (in percentage points) between first release and the latest estimates concerning growth rates of the same reference period. Revisions to year-on-year growth rate refer to not adjusted data of the last month prior to the current reference period. With regard to the short-term growth rate, an additional monthly revision for seasonally adjusted data occurs as new observations can change the seasonal factors that are applied to the whole time series.
Table 3 provides revised data for February 2023.
Changes were introduced in revision policy for unadjusted series of retail trade when the bulletin referred to March 2020 was issued. Until the dissemination of data referred to February 2020, publications would revise the two months previous the reference period. However, since March 2020, publications have been revising only one month before the reference period. Moreover, twice a year the latest semester is revised. In the bulletin referred to October 2022 the first six months of the year 2022 were revised, while the last six months of 2022 will be revised in the first semester of 2023.
No changes were introduced for seasonally adjusted series that, as in the past, can be wholly revised.
TABLE 3. REVISIONS TO GROWTH RATES BY MARKETABLE GOODS SECTOR
Differences in percentage points (index, 2015=100)
  Food sales Non-food sales Total sales
Month-on-month change (a) Year-on-year change (b) Month-on-month change (a) Year-on-year change (b) Month-on-month change (a) Year-on-year change (b)
February 2023
(a) Figures are calculated on seasonally adjusted data
(b) Figures are calculated on non-seasonally adjusted data
Large-scale distribution: definition of this aggregate was revised according to the classification ATECO 2007 (Italian version of the Classification of Economic Activities NACE Rev.2). Large-scale distribution includes the following categories:
Non-specialized stores with food predominating
Hypermarket (Ateco 47111): store combining a supermarket (food products) and a department store (non-food products), with a selling surface over 2.500 square metres.
Supermarket (Ateco 47112): store operating in food retailing, organized as a self-service shop covering a surface area over 400 square metres and offering a wide variety of food (mainly canned and packaged goods), personal hygiene products, household cleaners and pet supplies.
Discount stores (Ateco 47113): retail area selling wide assortments of goods (not name-brand) focusing on low prices rather than service, displays or variety.
Non-specialized stores with non-food predominatingDepartment store and non-specialized store selling computers, peripheral devices, telecoms equipment, consumer electronics (audio and video), electrical household appliances: they both are retail establishments offering a wide range of predominantly non-food consumer goods. Both kinds of stores cover a floor space over 400 square metres and sell a wide range of products such as consumer electronics, household appliances, clothing, furniture and household supplies.
Large footprints specialized stores
Large footprints specialized store (or category killer store): specialized store offering a deep product assortment within a given category with a footprints over 400 square metres. Category killer stores typically have a large-scale distribution business model.
Small retail store: retail store with a selling surface under 400 square metres. Both specialized stores and non-specialized stores may fall within this category. Among the latter ones, minimarkets (Ateco 47114), frozen food stores (Ateco 47115) and general stores (Ateco 47199) can be found.
E-commerce: electronic selling of goods over the internet network (Ateco 47911). The monthly indices refer to real-time sales transactions that occur as a consumer purchases an item from an online store, which predominantly operates in the e-commerce sector. Web sales performed by retailers that sell primarily in stores do not flow into e-commerce indicators.