ROME, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The value of Italy's food-related sales rose in April, the government's statistics entity reported Tuesday, as the gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions on restaurants and bars has helped the sector start its recovery.
According to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics (Istat), food goods increased 1.0 percent in April from the previous month in terms of both overall value and volume. Compared with the same month in 2020, food sales were up 0.6 percent in value and 1.2 percent in volume.
The uptick in food sales came despite a downturn in non-food sales in April -- by 1.5 percent in value and 1.7 percent in volume compared with March. Overall, retail sales for the month were 0.4 percent lower in value and 0.5 percent less in volume.
"Over the last two months, the overall economic situation has been supported by positive trends in the food sector, while that of non-foods has contributed negatively," Istat said in a statement.
Compared to the same period a year earlier, however, overall retail sales were strong, surging 30.4 percent in value and 31.5 percent in volume. Those figures benefitted from a weak comparison month, given that April 2020 was the only month completely under the full terms of the coronavirus lockdown, which started in early March and was gradually eased starting in May of last year. Enditem
