The summer of 2023, recorded as the hottest season ever, not only poses unprecedented challenges to humankind, but also has a serious impact on the Italian clothing industry.The Italian Clothing Federation Fismo reports that the abnormally high temperatures have led to a sharp decline in winter clothing purchases, while the effects of inflation have forced families in Italy and Europe to rethink their spending structures, especially in clothing spending.

To address this problem, the Italian Trade Federation Confesercenti (Fismo is its subsidiary agency) made a bold proposal for the first time: to postpone the start of the winter deduction season in 2024 to the first week of February, so that traders have more time to offset sales losses.

According to Italian media reports, behind this major decision is not only the high cost of living that restricts the household’s budget, but more importantly, climate change has brought additional difficulties to the sales of winter clothing. Fismo-Confesercenti Association President Benigni Campobasso said: “The unusual climate conditions in September and October, with average temperatures higher than normal, have had a negative impact on the launch of new products in winter. The sales of shoes and accessories in all regions have declined sharply, down by up to 20% compared to the same period last year.”

Economic and financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore noted that delaying the start date of the 2024 winter discount season by one month could be a solution to mitigate the problem and help merchants recover part of the losses caused by poor early autumn sales. Chairman Campobasso stressed: “If the winter discount quarter is set at the beginning of January, merchants will not have enough time to sell goods at full prices.”

The Fismo-Confesercenti Association believes that this temporary measure taken in extreme circumstances should turn into a long-term solution. They believe that discounting should be a structural measure, as long as it is done at the right time, whether it is winter or summer, or sales at the end of the quarter, will bring huge economic benefits to and consumers. Italian experts point out: “Due to climate change, the current start of the discounting season is too early and does not match the real ‘end of the quarter’ and this discrepancy is becoming increasingly evident in the 21st century.”