• Istat, exceptional decrease in GDP in the first quarter of 2020
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05 June 2020The lockdown effect on consumption translates into a collapse in retail sales in April: according to Istat data, on an annual basis, the drop was 26.3% in value and 28.1% in volume while on the basis of monthly, i.e. compared to March, sales fell by 10.5% in value and 11.4% in volume. The sales of non-food goods mainly weigh, while e-commerce accelerates.

In April, Istat reports a cyclical decrease in sales of non-food goods (-24.0%) due to the closure of many businesses for the entire month due to the Covid-19 health emergency. Sales of the sector on an annual basis food grow both in large retailers (+ 6.9%) and in businesses operating on small surfaces (+ 11.2%), while sales of non-food goods decrease substantially (respectively -62.2% and -51 , 5%). But in some sectors the decreases are impressive: for example for Footwear, leather and travel items we talk about -90.6%, for Furniture, textiles and furnishings of -83.6%, as well as for Clothing and fur ( -83.4%) and Games, toys, sports and camping (-82.5%). In the large-scale retail trade, the gap between specialized stores (-76.8%) is growing, most affected by the closure imposed by the insulation measures, and non-specialized stores (-1.5%), which have remained mostly open.