Boom of foreign street vendors in Italy: +30% in four years. And Naples is the capital of stalls. But while the markets are depopulating, traditional shops are losing ground. This is what emerges from the photograph taken by Unioncamere-InfoCamere on data from the Business Register, according to which between 2012 and 2016 the growth of foreign entrepreneurship (+ 24 companies) was decisive for the balance of the itinerant trade which closed with a positive balance of 15.000 units (+8,3%), bringing the total number of companies in the sector to almost 195.
The contribution of businesses of young people under 35 was positive, but less significant in absolute terms. The additional young people who landed in the markets in the last four years numbered around 1.800 (+5,3% growth in the under 35 component in the period) , while the budget of female entrepreneurs was substantially unchanged (+0,2% over the five years).
The momentum of street vendors was accompanied by a reduction, albeit slight, in the commercial activities carried out in traditional shops. Thanks to the prolonged crisis and, more specifically, the stagnation of consumption, the retail commercial activities with a fixed location decreased between 2012 and 2016 by around 3 thousand units (equal to 0,3% less in the period).
It is no coincidence, in fact, that itinerant businesses have recorded more significant percentage variations in the South. In Naples, Reggio Calabria, Pescara and Catanzaro for itinerant trade there are increases of more than 20% over the entire period considered. However, even in two large provinces in the north and in the centre, such as Milan and Rome, the change in itinerant activities over the four years is very high, +34% and +22% respectively.
The sector of fabrics and clothing items is the protagonist among the stalls. At the end of December last year, this sector was headed by 51.646 itinerant businesses (27% of the total), which grew by over 3 thousand units (+6,6%) in the last four years.
With reference only to sole proprietorships, the nationality with the greatest expansion in the last four years is Bangladesh (6.659 more street vendors and 15.213 businesses in total) which, together with Senegal (+2.257), shares the second place for representativeness in street trading ( both with 15% of the total). However, the leadership of the stalls remains firmly in the hands of Moroccans with 40.189 street vendors (39% of the total in the sector), who also grew significantly in the period examined (+14%).
