(Finance) – Consumption recorded an important recovery of 5.1% in July compared to the same month of 2021, driven by the travel and catering sectors, but also by the clothing and accessories sector. This is what emerges fromConfimprese-EY permanent observatorywhich analyzes the trend in consumption in the clothing and accessories, food & beverage (served catering, quick service and bar) and non-food (retail, cosmetics, furniture, services, culture) sectors.
Runs the catering which records + 9.7% compared to July 2021 and the sector clothing-accessories with a + 6%. In suffering the non-food retail which closes at -4.6%: the setback of non-food retail, after the good trends during the pandemic, is linked to the return to a wider consumption away from home with the reduction of the purchase of goods related to furniture and culture.
As for the sales channels, there is a continuous one resumption of travel which closes at + 39.7% compared to the same month of 2021, but still remains far from pre-pandemic levels. The streets of the big city shoppingwith the high street sector closing the a + 5.7% compared to the same month of 2021.
In geographic areas, the Northwest consolidates consumption with a + 7.3% compared to July 2021, followed by the Northeast at + 3.3%. The Center closed at + 7.9%, while in the South consumption stopped at + 0.9%.
“The recovery in consumption continues with catering consolidating and touching the double digit towards 2021”, he explains Mario Maiocchidirector of the Confimprese Study Center, adding “the data for the month of July induce a hope that it can continue in the coming months the recovery, though the uncertainty caused by record increases in gas prices and electricity is starting to weigh heavily on the economic accounts of retailers, especially those of catering, which have very high costs. Obviously without forgetting the impact on spending power and consumer expectations “.
“In the summer months, Italians return to consume according to pre-pandemic habits and dedicate part of their shopping basket to their free time and activities outside the home”, confirms Paolo Lobetti Bodoni of EY.