Italian retail chief Francesca Recine urges reform of summer sales

Francesca Recine, president of the national retail association Fismo Confesercenti, said many retailers are opting to discount only a small part of their collections or skipping the summer sales entirely, adding that “tanti non aderiscono, vanno riportati a fine stagione”. She highlighted an Ipsos poll commissioned by Confesercenti indicating that 68 % of Italians expected the sales day and the average planned spend was €209, mostly on shoes and summer clothing. Recine argued that the traditional sales period is losing relevance amid continuous promotions by large distributors and online shops, and urged that sales regain centrality only if held at the end of summer and winter, as reflected in a recent nationwide petition that has gathered thousands of signatures.

The association’s petition calls for a restructuring of the sales calendar to better suit current commercial realities and support small neighborhood stores that need balanced margins to survive.