Expensive bills also weighs on shopping, 39% Italians cut clothes and shoes purchases

The expensive bill also affects the sales of clothes, coats, bags and shoes with 39% of Italians who intend to reduce the purchases of these non-voluptuous but less necessary items than food, in view of the ‘hot’ autumn of prices. This is what emerges from a survey that Confesercenti anticipates at Adnkronos. “A decline that can already be felt in store sales – says Benny Campobasso, president of Fismo – even if for now, but we are at the beginning of the season, it is slight”. “Historically, the month of October is quiet but if there is no reaction on purchases with the cold then we will have to worry …”, adds Campobasso. And that’s how 11,000 stores are already planning to close their business, according to another Fismo survey. “10% of entrepreneurs say they are ready to close their business in the face of electricity increases. A considerable portion equal to about 11,000 small clothing, accessories and footwear businesses”. Strong concern also at Confcommercio. “We have warehouses full of beautiful collections purchased between December 2021 and January 2022, even expensive items that we bought with optimistic expectations that the pandemic would pass, but now the situation of great difficulty can only worry us”. This is what Giulio Felloni, president of Federmoda Italia Confcommercio said to Adnkronos. “The increase in costs in general and in bills means that consumers are cautious. – he adds – and even if there is a great desire to return to normality and above all for women to buy something, the economic slowdown is affecting the appeal of clothing and accessory purchases “. According to a flash survey that Federmoda Italia is carrying out from 30 September to 10 October among merchants, it emerges that “sales are slightly lower or stable, but the fact is that many stores are planning to close also due to the enormous increase in costs. “. “We expect signals and constructive projects from the government, – Felloni argues – we will work on the supply chain from producer to consumer but we think we have an interaction with other associations: Cna, Confartigianato, Confindustria, Confesercenti to think together and try to solve the problem of fashion, a latent problem to prevent shops from closing, and then reopening more like fashion “. “The phenomenon concerns some cities and certain smaller and less frequented municipalities where there is no shopping tourist. And then – says Felloni – customers must understand that if one buys a dress online it feeds unfair competition, in fact the costs on the web they are not comparable with those we have “.