Distribuzione e Revenue

🍕 Margherita S.p.A., dubbed "La più grande pizzeria d’Italia," employs over 400 expert pizzaioli. At Marca 2025 in Bologna, January 15-16, at Padiglione 29 - Stand A 22 – B 21, the company presents Pizza Ariosa under the Re Pomodoro brand. This gourmet product, which premiered at Cibus 2024, features a 48-hour leavened dough with 80% hydration. Margherita S.p.A. has 4 production sites, 400 employees, and a turnover of approximately 85 million euros.

⛷ Pila spa reported a 7% increase in early season ski resort entries, with around 150,000 accesses recorded from season opening to January 6. This period includes peak holiday season. Aimé Pernettaz, director of the Espace de Pila consortium, expects the positive trend to continue in the coming months. Pila is recognized as an ideal destination for families, athletes, and mountain enthusiasts.

🏡 Puglia Paradise closed 2024 with a 30% revenue increase and a 35% rise in gross operating margin. The company added 8 new properties, reaching a total of 31 luxury trulli and villas. Top international clients are from the US (30%), UK (21%), and Northern Europe (21%), with Italian clientele at 10%. There was a 9% increase in average price and a 72% increase in sales of extra services, accounting for 10% of total booking value. Over 150 new 5-star reviews and 11 video reviews were acquired, with the Guest Angel mentioned in 74% of them. Puglia Paradise aims for a further 25% revenue growth in 2025, with the addition of three new villas.

🏖️ Thailand's National Tourism Authority reported 940,051 tourists from Southern Europe and the Mediterranean visited the country in 2024. Italy ranked second with 267,474 tourists, behind Israel (281,803) and ahead of Spain (207,710). Tourism revenue exceeded 64.39 billion Baht (approx. €1.8 billion). Nanthasiri Ronnasiri cited strategic airline partnerships as a growth factor. For 2025, the 'Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025' campaign aims to enhance tourism quality and sustainability.

✈ In the European airspace, traffic is growing on average, yet countries like France, UK, and Germany lag behind. Germany's airports have called for political intervention due to the traffic shortfall. Southern and Eastern Europe surpass pre-pandemic levels, with Greece at +18%, Turkey at +12%, Portugal and Poland at +9%, Spain at +7%, and Italy seventh in Eurocontrol's ranking at +6%. Germany trails, only ahead of Finland and Sweden, at 84% of 2019 levels. Nordic countries face issues due to Russian airspace closures, whereas Germany's decline is due to national factors, including doubled governmental taxes and charges since 2019. From January 1 to December 1, 2024, nearly 10 million aircraft movements were recorded in European airspace, a 99% recovery rate from the same period in 2019. However, Germany is 16 percentage points behind in recovery. Without cost reductions, German airports' growth momentum may continue to decline yearly until 2030. Full recovery to the 2019 passenger volume of just under 250 million is not expected before 2029. For more, visit: www.eurocontrol.int.

🍷 Asti Spumante and Moscato d'Asti's production closed positively in 2024, exceeding 90 million bottles. Moscato d'Asti saw significant growth with over 33 million bottles, especially from the US, Italy, Korea, and China. Asti Spumante experienced a slight decrease in bottling but stable exports with only a 0.8% decline in the first nine months of 2024. Exports to Eastern Europe surged, notably Latvia (+5%) and Russia (+49%). The US exports dropped by 2%, while the UK rose by 10%. Moscato Bianco, cultivated in 51 municipalities across Alessandria, Asti, and Cuneo, spans about 10,000 hectares. There are 1,013 consortium companies, and 90% of production is exported.

🏬 Firenze leads winter sales with 40.1% of shops visited by tourists, followed by Milan (36.3%), Rome (34.4%), and Naples (32.1%). Milan holds the highest foreign tourist receipt average at €182 per purchase. Over half of foreign tourists prefer Italian high fashion brands (55.6%). According to Giulio Felloni, President of Federazione Moda Italia-Confcommercio, 60% of shops report sales in line or better than 2024, with a strong start and sustained interest, partly due to the reduced tax-free threshold from €155 to €70.

💸 In Italy, by the end of 2024, roasted coffee prices increased by 42.8% from 2021, reaching €12.66/kg, with Trieste being the most expensive city at €14.34/kg. Espresso prices in Italian bars rose by 18.1%, to an average of €1.21, with Bolzano having the highest cost at €1.38 per cup. Butter prices soared by 48.8% to €13.35/kg, with Turin being the priciest city at €15.85/kg. Chocolate bars saw a 26.9% hike to €1.60 for 100 grams, with Palermo having the highest price at €2.08. These increases impact consumer habits and the survival of public establishments.

📈 In 2024, Italian foodtech investments dropped by 52% to €115 million. xFarm's Series C round comprised 34% of investments, up 34% to €36 million. Series B rounds fell 79% to €6.6 million, and Series A rounds decreased by 56% to €24 million. Seed funding increased by 39% to €15.265 million, Pre-Seed by 60% to €5.5 million, and Crowdfunding by 14% to €16.625 million. Agritech grew by 282% to €51.27 million, innovative foods by 26% to €13.28 million, and digital food by 155% to €11.29 million, while restaurant-tech plunged 78% to €7.66 million. Anti-waste technology and circular economy investments were stable at €5.88 million. Pet-foodtech saw €1.28 million in investments. Lombardy attracted 69% of total funds (€76.243 million), followed by Piedmont (€10.51 million) and Emilia Romagna (€7.11 million). Northern Italy accounted for 94.1% of investments. Gender parity showed over a quarter of deals involving startups with at least one female founder, amounting to 13% (€15 million) of total funds.

💰 Vittorio Messina, president of Confesercenti Sicilia and Assoturismo, reported that Sicily saw a 20% dip in tourist flow during the holiday season compared to 2023-2024, with some cities like Agrigento experiencing up to a 25% decline. Nevertheless, Palermo and Catania recorded a positive 5% increase in arrivals. Italian, French, and German tourist numbers fell by 3%, while Spanish and American visitors increased. Sicilian airports were fully booked, thanks to government flight discounts over the holidays. Final numbers are expected by the end of January.