Italian exports to non-EU countries slowed on a quarterly basis in April 2026, but continue to show signs of solidity year-over-year, with effects directly impacting the food industry and retail. According to data released by Istat, overall exports to non-European markets decreased by 2,8% compared to March, while imports increased by 1,3%, driven primarily by energy.
However, excluding the extraordinary sales of navigation equipment recorded in the previous month, exports would show a 1,5% quarterly growth, a sign of continued strong international demand for many Italian production chains.
A mixed picture emerges for the food and consumer goods sectors. Non-durable consumer goods, a category that also includes most food and grocery products, recorded a monthly decline of 2,4% in April, but maintained a 5,7% growth trend compared to the same month in 2025.
Overall, consumer goods showed a trade surplus of 4,4 billion euros in the month and almost 15 billion in the four-month period from January to April, confirming the positive contribution of Italian production oriented towards international consumption.
The growth of extra-EU exports is being supported above all by the markets of Switzerland (+39,4%), China (+36%) and the United States (+12,1%), which are also strategic areas for Italian food, beverages and premium products distributed by large-scale retail and the specialty retail channel.
The United Kingdom, on the other hand, is weaker, with Italian exports declining by 3%, while sales to Turkey plummeted (-21,3%). On the import front, purchases from Mercosur countries (+62,7%) and OPEC countries (+51%) are growing significantly, with potential impacts also on agricultural and energy raw materials used by the food industry.
In the first four months of the year, Italy's trade surplus with non-EU countries rose to 17,5 billion euros, up from 13,6 billion in the same period of 2025, thanks primarily to the non-energy component.
Alongside the foreign trade data, Istat reported an improvement in consumer confidence in May, rising from 90,8 to 93,4 points. Expectations about personal and future economic conditions are growing, a factor also closely monitored by modern retail and food distribution, which in recent months have faced prudent consumption and increased price sensitivity.
Business confidence, however, fell from 95,1 to 94,1 points, penalized above all by the slowdown in services and construction, while manufacturing remained stable.
Retail trade is moving in contrast, recording a slight improvement in confidence, with the index rising from 100,8 to 101. The increase is mainly linked to more favourable assessments of sales and a reduction in warehouse stocks, even if future expectations remain more cautious.
For large-scale retail trade, the confidence climate remains just below 100, while traditional retail trade continues to maintain higher levels, despite still weak sales assessments.
The picture emerging from Istat's data therefore depicts an Italian economy still supported by manufacturing exports and consumer goods, but struggling with cautious domestic consumption and business confidence that remains fragile. For the food and retail industries, the second half of 2026 will primarily depend on the ability to consolidate foreign demand and capture a more stable recovery in domestic consumption.
