Retail sales in Italy are down. According to the latest Istat surveys, in November the figure decreased by 0,3% compared to October, with a sharp decline especially for food products (-0,8%), the worst since April 2010.
On an annual basis the decrease was equal to 1,8%. Sales of food products show a slight trend decrease (-0,1%), while those of non-food products record a fall of 2,6%. On average for the September-November 2011 quarter, the index decreased by 0,5% compared to the previous three months.
Sales by distribution form show, in comparison with the month of November 2010, marked decreases both for large-scale distribution (-1,7%) and for companies operating on small surfaces (-2,0%).
In the first eleven months of 2011, compared to the same period of 2010, the raw index decreased by 1,0%. Sales of food products increase by 0,2%, while those of non-food products decrease by 1,5%.
