I winter sales 2017 are now at the gates. From Roma a Milano, from Torino a Napoli, the discounts begin everywhere on Thursday 5 January. The only exceptions are Basilicata e Sicilia (where the sales start today, January 2), in addition to the Valle d'Aosta (January 3).
The complete calendar, however, presents much more significant differences between the various areas of Italy as regards the date of conclusion. So here is an outline of when the 2017 winter sales start and end in the different regions:
Abruzzo: 5 January – 5 March 2017
Basilicata: 2 January – 1 March 2017
Calabria: 5 January – 28 February 2017
Campania: 5 January – 2 April 2017
Emilia Romagna: 5 January – 5 March 2017
Friuli Venezia Giulia: 5 January – 31 March 2017
Lazio: 5 January – 15 February 2017
Liguria: 5 January – 18 February 2017
Lombardia: 5 January – 5 March 2017
Marche: 5 January – 1 March 2017
Molise: 5 January – 5 March 2017
Piemonte: 5 January – 28 February 2017
Puglia: 5 January – 28 February 2017
Sardinia: 5 January – 5 March 2017
Sicilia: 2 January – 15 March 2017
Toscana: 5 January – 5 March 2017
Umbria: 5 January – 5 March 2017
Valle d'Aosta: 3 January – 31 March 2017
Veneto: 5 January – 28 February 2017
Province of Trento: 5 January – 5 March 2017
Province of Bolzano: 5 January – 18 February 2017
According to estimates by Confcommercio, during these winter sales 2017 the Italians will spend 5,3 billion euros (a value in line with last year) equal to 344 euros per family.
“After such a Christmas, hope now passes through the sales – says Renato Borghi, president of the Italian Fashion Federation and vice president of Confcommercio – however they will not be sales with a bang. Our estimate, euro plus euro minus, is that Italians will spend on average the same as last year. End-of-season sales will always be an extraordinary opportunity for consumers but, for us traders, they won't be enough to fill a consumption gap strongly conditioned by an increasingly uncertain and fluctuating trend".
Confesercenti, however, on the occasion of these winter sales 2017 more than one out of two Italians (58%) declare themselves interested or very interested in buying products, in two cases out of three clothing.
“The sales represent an opportunity for both consumers and traders – comments Roberto Manzoni, President of Fismo, the association that brings together Confesercenti fashion sector traders – According to our estimates based on the purchasing intentions of Italians , can potentially be worth more 4,9 billion euros of consumption, for an average expenditure of approx 330 euros per family".
A breath of fresh air for a sector which – according to the projections of the Confesercenti Observatory – has not yet emerged from the crisis: in 2016 alone, over 6 independent clothing, textile, footwear and accessory shops went out of business, both in the north (-3.721 companies) and in the south and in the islands (-2.411).
“For the mechanism of the balances to work correctly – continues Manzoni – there is a need to restore a framework of certain rules and put an end to the confusion in the sector. Controls are needed to block illegal pre-sales and to stop misleading advertising, which passes off the promotion of products that have no seasonality as end-of-season sales. Balances are a useful tool for consumers and businesses, they must be protected”.
