Statistics just published by L'Istituto nazionale di statistica (Istat) indicate oncoming turbulence for the FMCG sphere in Italy.
Though in December inflation remained stable, the price of an ordinary weekly shop fell by 0.5 per cent compared to the same period of 2013. The consumer body Adiconsum (l'Associazione aderente all'Associazione Difesa Consumatori e Ambiente Nazionale) believes this statistic is misleading, however, because shopping trollies still remain "[relatively] empty" as a consequence of the nation's difficulty-ridden economy. The reduction in FMCG volume-purchase is disquieting for retailers and consumers alike.
Today's edition of La Repubblica, the Milan daily newspaper, makes dispiriting reading for the ordinary consumer: economists predict a rise of 0.5 per cent for FMCGs for 2015.
The Unione Nazionale Consumatori said it is worried about the "consumption crisis in Italy."
The president of Codacons (Coordinamento delle associazioni per la difesa dell'ambiente e dei diritti degli utenti e dei consumatori), Carlo Rienzi, stressed that "prices will stop and will not increase because there is no demand for goods now."
He added "The plummeting price of a standard shopping cart means that Italians often do not even manage to buy required FMCGs. This is a tragedy, because it means that Italians no longer buy even basic necessities, i.e., waive basic goods like food. Just consider that consumption in the Italian food sector decreased by as much as 12 per cent between 2008 and 2014."
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article written by Peter Donnelly
