Italy is experiencing a significant decline in local retail, with over 140,000 businesses disappearing since 2012, according to a study by Confcommercio. In 2024, Italy had just over 534,000 active retail businesses, including 434,000 fixed-site stores and 71,000 street vendors, a sharp fall from 2012 figures, with nearly 118,000 fewer shops and 23,000 fewer vendors.
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The furniture sector has been particularly hard hit, with a 26.7% decline in the number of stores since 2012. Traditional furniture shops and hardware outlets have struggled to compete with online sales and rising operating costs, leading to a significant reduction in retail options for local communities.
Medium-to-large cities in central and northern Italy, including Ancona, Trieste, and Ravenna, are particularly vulnerable, with projections suggesting up to one-third of stores could close by 2035. Southern regions show less drastic reductions, but face challenges linked to demographic decline and northward migration.
Confcommercio recommends multi-level policies, including national urban policy coordination, urban district enhancement, local agreements to reactivate vacant spaces, urban animation initiatives, sustainable logistics integration, and partnerships between businesses and real estate operators.
Without prompt structural interventions, one in five Italian shops could vanish by 2035, threatening both economic activity and urban identity.
Source: www.dedalomultimedia.org
