Despite the decline in employees in retail stores – they went from 1,904,871 in 2018 to 1,871,104 in 2025 – the sector’s turnover, in the same period, recorded a surge of 25.7%, growing from 326.8 to 410.7 billion euros.
Read more Milan: Calabresi, run for office? I’m thinking about it, I’d like to do my part
Ask the Sun
Questions are automatically suggested by 24Ore AI
based on the displayed content.
Between 2018 and 2025, the number of sales points in Italy also decreased, falling from over 666 thousand in 2018 to approximately 570 thousand in 2025, a reduction of 14.4 percent. Commercial desertification has particularly affected small businesses with strong local roots, such as small food shops and establishments dedicated to cultural and recreational consumption, while pharmacies are an exception (+4.2%). The presence of activities such as newsstands, bookstores, stationers, toy stores, and music stores is also sharply declining.
This is what emerges from Confcommercio’s first report on trade in Italy, prepared by the confederation’s Research Department.
Read more Shock in the Milanese center-right, Forza Italia group leader joins Vannacci
The decrease in sales points
Non-specialized businesses – hypermarkets, supermarkets and minimarkets, food discount stores, department stores and emporiums, and large technology surfaces – decreased from 59,802 in 2018 to 54,708 in 2025, for an overall decline of 8.5 percent. Within this category, minimarkets experienced the most drastic decrease, going from 26,847 to 22,043 (-17.9%), while food discount stores, hypermarkets, department stores, and emporiums increased in number by 7.4%, 1.6%, and 1.1 percent respectively.
However, according to the Confcommercio report, the decline experienced by specialized businesses is more pronounced, such as small food shops, fuel and tobacco shops, small ICT shops, home and personal products, cultural and recreational items, clothing, footwear, jewelers, and pharmacies. These activities collectively decreased by 14.3% in seven years, going from 496,701 in 2018 to 425,874 in 2025. Only pharmacies increased in number, while cultural and recreational item stores even decreased by 21.9 percent.
Read more Special waste: production exceeds 172 million tons. The boost from construction
