The Chamber of Commerce of Milan cries of alarm from the beginning of the openings of stores in Milan were 1,382 compared with 1,865 closings, which translates into a negative balance of 483 units. And from January 2008 to the present day, every day 10 shops lowered their shutters. Renato Borghi Fashion Federation of Italy: "The families do not buy, the rents are too high and there is the Town Meeting".

Data and reflections that emerged yesterday in the States General of the trade, which now devotes a large study The Republic, reporting that some Istat data are clear: if in 2008 67.6% of consumption in England was aimed at primary expenditure (food, housing, fuel, health and transport), in 2010 this percentage rose to 69.7% at the expense of buying tobacco, furnishings, leisure and culture and, last but not least, clothing and footwear, which in two years fell from 32.4% to 30.3%.

The "Milano da bere" is therefore a distant memory, as confirmed in an interview with the newspaper Renato Borghi: the president of Italy Fashion Federation notes that the capital of ready - to-wear fashion is just one of the areas adversely affected by a crisis in very black and the rest of Italy is no exception, with the prospect of a nationwide decline in spending over the next 12 months by 44.4% for clothing, 38.5% for footwear, handbags and other accessories and 36.9% for the home textiles (source: Astra research for Italy Fashion Federation).

"We urgently need government intervention - he says - with a tax reform for the benefit of citizens. But even the council of Milan, which is announced to be paid out of taxes, from shops, bars, and also provides for the payment Ecopass dealers (not to mention the prospect of a tax on tourism) should take a step back. "In his speech yesterday in Milan Villages has covered the last three years: 2009, annus horribilis, in which small and medium-sized traditional stores scattered in our country have earned a -6% in sales and 2010 which were on the ground negative, a trend confirmed in the first six months of 2011. "Do not forget though - he said - that in our independent retail defends tooth and nail to a share of 38% of the total, while in England there is still 8% to 18% in France, in Germany 20% and 26% in Spain". "We need to safeguard pluralism distribution that has always characterized our country", he urged , by invoking a scenario in which phenomena such as the exponential growth of factory outlet centers are closely monitored and regulated in particular. "We presented a bill on - informed - and we will bring to the attention of the Chambers, with the decisive support of Confcommercio". "Even the archipelago of temporary shops must be kept under observation - he concluded - while it is long overdue reform of the rules on commercial leases, to counter the higher rents, and you can not lower their guard in the fight counterfeiting and illegal for a plague that causes losses to our business for more than 3 billion euros".