The Italian FMCG market grew by 4% in value during the second quarter of 2017, recording the best performance among leading European economies, according to s study by Nielsen.
In comparison, France grew by +3.2%, followed by the UK (+ 2.9%), Spain (+ 2.9%) and Germany (+ 2.3%).
The increase in Italian sales was affected by Easter spending and high temperatures, but also by a renewed interest in the healthy eating sector.
Volumes Up
Contributing to Italy’s positive performance was an increase in sales volumes (+3.1%) and the rise in consumer prices of FMCG (+0.9%). The rise in prices remains in line with that of Q1 2017.
The data comes from Nielsen's Growth Reporter, which examines trends in consumer goods sales in the large retail channel across 21 European markets.
At European level, in Q2 2017, revenue grew by +3.7% over the same period last year: the most significant growth in the last three years, due in part to a late Easter and particularly high spring temperatures. The result is due to an 2% increase in consumer prices and an 1.7% increase in sales volumes.
Overall, the quarter was very positive. Among the 21 countries surveyed, Turkey's retailers recorded the highest increase in revenue (+14.2% year-on- year), followed by Slovakia (+9.3%) and Austria (+6.7%). The only contraction occurred in Switzerland (-0.7%).
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
