Italy faces commercial decline as vacant shops and neighborhood closures rise

Italy is experiencing a significant decline in local commerce, with approximately 460,000 commercial premises currently vacant across the country. During the inCittà 2026 event in Bari, Confcommercio Secretary General Marco Barbieri warned that the disappearance of shops threatens urban livability and social cohesion, potentially turning neighborhoods into mere residential zones.

Confcommercio has called for government intervention to address rising commercial rents and bureaucratic hurdles. Proposed measures include appointing a vacancy manager to census unused spaces, negotiating rent reductions with landlords, and providing tax relief for public space occupation. These requests come as data from Confesercenti Lombardia highlights a similar trend in the Lombardy region, where thousands of neighborhood shops have closed since 2019, even as the total retail surface area continues to expand through larger commercial structures.

In a separate economic development, the cooperative group Conserve Italia reported record results for its 50th anniversary. The group announced 122 million euros in liquidations to its producer members, a 14.8 percent increase from the previous year. Despite a modest 4.1 percent increase in processed volumes, the group maintained a stable turnover of 1.15 billion euros.