Milano Home, si rafforza il retail specializzato

Milano Home, a specialized retail fair organized by Fiera Milano, is set to expand its fourth edition from January 21-24, 2027. The event will bring together operators and professionals from the real estate, textile, and gift sectors, offering a diverse range of products, proposals, and solutions. These include home decor, gift items, gourmet food, pet-related products, high-end stationery, and Christmas-themed offerings.

The fair reflects the changing market trends and consumer purchasing behavior, providing opportunities for operators to discover new tools, ideas, and business strategies.

According to Confcommercio's 2026 Trade Report, the number of retail sales points in Italy decreased by 13.6% between 2018 and 2025, while employment only dropped by 0.6%. This indicates a more significant reduction in resources, with retail employees working in fewer points of sale, with the ratio of employees per point of sale increasing by 15.1% and by 13.8% in specialized retail. Quality of product offerings, spatial curation, and customer relations have become increasingly important in this context.

This trend is especially significant in the "home and person" merchandise segment, where local stores decreased by 15% between 2018 and 2025, from 71,837 to 61,087, while revenue increased by 28% from 28.1 to 36 billion euros. Specialized outlets now represent 57.2% of retail revenue, generating 234.8 billion euros out of the total 410.7 billion euros.

The evolution of retail is also characterized by an increasingly integrated physical and digital dimension. Online sales, including e-commerce, in-store sales, and vending machines, have grown by 41.9% between 2018 and 2025, compared to a 25.7% growth in overall retail sales.

Milano Home will showcase the latest trends in this dynamic retail space, emphasizing the relationship between products, languages, and various usage contexts. Emanuele Guido, Fiera Milano's director for Milano Home, noted that the concept of gift has evolved, with consumers wanting to make a statement and satisfy themselves. The introduction of gifting concepts aims to expand the traditional usage of products and open new opportunities for presentation and suggestion.

The food segment, increasingly present in home-related commercial spaces, is a key focus at Milano Home. "GourMeet," the second edition of the dedicated food space, brings gourmet, confectionery items in gift packaging to an audience increasingly concerned with quality, excellence, and uniqueness.