Italian Retail Sales Rise 0.1% in September 2026
Istat reports a 0.1% increase in Italian retail sales for September, though growth was driven by price hikes rather than increased consumer demand.
The Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat) reported that retail sales in Italy increased by 0.1% in value during September 2026, slightly surpassing economist forecasts of 0.0%. Despite the value increase, Istat noted that growth resulted from price increases rather than consumer demand, as sales volumes remained flat for the month.
Data for the third quarter of 2026 indicates a broader squeeze on consumers, with retail sales falling 0.3% in value and 0.5% in volume. Sector-specific performance varied, with food sales remaining unchanged in value but declining 0.3% in volume. Non-food sales rose 0.3% in value and 0.1% in volume, led by a 5.7% growth in IT and telecommunications equipment.
Online retail emerged as the strongest growth area, increasing 8.5% in value and 7.1% in volume compared to September 2025. For the first nine months of 2026, overall retail sales rose 1.9% in value and 0.4% in volume on a trend basis.
