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Commerce, Istat: sales -8.5% in 7 months, online + 28.5%
In the first seven months of 2020, retail sales overall decreased 8.5% compared to the same period in 2019, while online commerce posted growth of 28.5%. Istat notes this, underlining that in July there was a general decrease in sales of 7.2% compared to July 2019, while for e-commerce the growth was 11.6%. Smaller stores suffered mainly with a fall of 11.7% in July and 14.6% in the first seven months compared to the same period of the previous year, while large stores registered a decrease of 3.8% in July and 3.9% in the first seven months. For out-of-store sales, there was a 7% decrease in July and a 17% decrease in the first seven months. In July 2020, retail sales are expected to decline 2.2% in value and 3.1% in volume compared to June. On a trend basis, there was a decrease in sales of 7.2% in value and 10.2% in volume, mainly due to the performance of non-food goods (-11.6% in value and -15.8% in volume). In particular, there was a drop in sales of clothing and furs, -27.9% in July 2019. Compared to July 2019, the value of retail sales decreased by 3.8% for large-scale distribution and 11.7% for companies that operate in small areas. Electronic commerce is growing (+ 11.6%).
