According to the report from Istat, in January 2021 estimates for seasonally adjusted index of retail trade fell by 3.0% in value terms in the month on month series, likewise volume dropped by 3.9%.

In the three months to January 2021, value of sales was down 6.7% and volume decreased by 7.3% when compared with the previous three months.

Year on year, value of retail trade was down 6.8%, with a 15.5% fall in non-food sales and a 4.5% increase in food sales. Volume sales contracted by 8.5%.

In January 2021, all channels of distribution, besides e-commerce, continued their fall when compared with January 2020. Online sales continued their rise in January 2021, with sales up 38.4% compared with the same period a year earlier.

Looking at the value of sales for non-food products, all sectors experienced no growth besides electric household appliances, audio-video equipment (+11.7%) and computers and telecommunications equipment (+9.9%).