---
source: National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT)
url: https://www.istat.it/en/press-release/retail-trade-march-2026/
document_type: pdf
date_retrieved: 2026-05-06
period: March 2026
parent_publication: Retail trade
indicators_covered: [Retail Sales MoM, Retail Sales YoY]
---

# Retail trade – March 2026

In March 2026, seasonally adjusted retail sales increased by 0.8% in value and by 0.7% in volume compared with February 2026.

In the first quarter of 2026, retail sales rose by 0.6% in value and by 0.2% in volume compared with the previous quarter.

On a year-on-year basis, retail sales in March 2026 increased by 3.7% in value and was up 2.1% in volume.

On a year-on-year basis, retail sales increased by 3.7% in large-scale distribution, by 3.1% in small-scale retail and by 3.4% in non-store sales. Online sales rose by 11.2% over the same period.

Among non-food products, nearly all product groups exhibited positive year-on-year growth. The largest increase was recorded in Computers and telecommunications equipment (+8.6%), while the sharpest declines was observed in Shoes, leather goods and travel items (-1.3%).

## Detailed tables

**TABLE 1. RETAIL TRADE BY MARKETABLE GOODS SECTOR**

*Months on previous months percentage changes (seasonally adjusted)*

| MARKTABLE GOODS SECTOR | Mar26 Value | Mar26 Volume | Jan-Mar26 Value | Jan-Mar26 Volume |
|------------------------|-------------|--------------|-----------------|------------------|
| Food                   | +0.9        | +0.5         | +0.9            | +0.1             |
| Non food               | +0.7        | +0.9         | +0.6            | +0.3             |
| Total                  | +0.8        | +0.7         | +0.6            | +0.2             |

*Months on same months a year ago percentage changes (non-seasonally adjusted)*

| MARKTABLE GOODS SECTOR | Mar26 Value | Mar26 Volume | Jan-Mar26 Value | Jan-Mar26 Volume |
|------------------------|-------------|--------------|-----------------|------------------|
| Food                   | +4.3        | +1.5         | +3.4            | +0.9             |
| Non food               | +3.3        | +2.7         | +2.1            | +1.2             |
| Total                  | +3.7        | +2.1         | +2.6            | +1.0             |

**TABLE 2. RETAIL TRADE BY MARKETABLE GOODS SECTOR AND CHANNEL OF DISTRIBUTION**

*March 2026, months on same months a year ago percentage changes in value, non-seasonally adjusted*

| MARKTABLE GOODS SECTOR AND CHANNEL OF DISTRIBUTION | Mar26 vs Mar25 | Jan-Mar26 vs Jan-Mar25 |
|---------------------------------------------------|----------------|------------------------|
| Large-scale distribution                          | +3.7           | +3.3                   |
| Food                                              | +4.5           | +3.8                   |
| Non food                                          | +1.8           | +2.4                   |
| Small-scale distribution                          | +3.1           | +1.5                   |
| Food                                              | +3.2           | +2.0                   |
| Non food                                          | +3.1           | +1.3                   |
| Non-store retail sales                            | +3.4           | +1.2                   |
| Online sales                                      | +11.2          | +8.2                   |
| Total                                             | +3.7           | +2.6                   |

**TABLE 3. REVISIONS TO GROWTH RATES**

*Differences in percentage points for February 2026*

|                     | Food sales | Non-food sales | Total sales |
|---------------------|------------|----------------|-------------|
| Month-on-month (a)  | 0.0        | +0.1           | -0.1        |
| Year-on-year (b)    | 0.0        | 0.0            | 0.0         |
| Volume month-on-month (a) | -0.1   | -0.1           | 0.0         |
| Volume year-on-year (b)   | -0.1   | 0.0            | 0.0         |

(a) Seasonally adjusted data  
(b) Non-seasonally adjusted data

---

*Source: ISTAT, Retail trade press release, 6 May 2026. Document ID: 125238.*