Italian retail sector loses 14% of stores, Confcommercio report shows

The latest Confcommercio report finds that Italy’s retail network has shrunk sharply, with around 96,000 outlets disappearing between 2018 and 2025 – a 14.4% decline and an average loss of about 38 shops per day. While larger discount chains and e‑commerce have grown, overall turnover rose 25.7% and revenue per employee increased, even as total retail employment fell only 1.8%.

In Piedmont, the trend mirrors the national picture: local retail units fell 10.2% from 2018 to 2023, reducing store density from 10.7 to 9.8 per 1,000 inhabitants (‑8.4%). Employment in the sector dropped 5.2%, sharper than the north‑west average, raising concerns about the loss of neighbourhood services, community cohesion and the attractiveness of towns.