https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Increasing rents are forcing shops in Italy out of business, a shop owner told The Local after it was revealed that one in four premises across the country are empty. https://www.thelocal.it/20151009/rent-hikes-force-thousands-of-italy-shop-closures Fri, 09 Oct 2015 15:42:22 +0200 rent-hikes-force-thousands-of-italy-shop-closures UPDATED: The number of small businesses owned by immigrants surged 44 percent between April and June as they snapped up failed Italian firms at bargain prices, the head of a Rome business group told The Local. https://www.thelocal.it/20140916/immigrants-drive-italys-economy Tue, 16 Sep 2014 10:47:00 +0200 immigrants-drive-italys-economy The August exodus from Rome can certainly be felt in parts of the city, with many shops, restaurants and bars having closed for their annual holiday. But some are breaking from tradition and staying open, The Local has discovered. https://www.thelocal.it/20140814/italian-businesses-scrap-traditional-august-break Thu, 14 Aug 2014 09:42:00 +0200 italian-businesses-scrap-traditional-august-break Chinese businesses are flourishing amid Italy’s recession, with the number of new businesses rising by 6.1 percent between 2012 and 2013, compared to a 1.6 drop in the number of new Italian-owned businesses. https://www.thelocal.it/20140813/chinese-entrepreneurs-buck-italys-recession Wed, 13 Aug 2014 10:42:00 +0200 chinese-entrepreneurs-buck-italys-recession The number of businesses in Italy fell by 12,000 in the first three months of 2014, according to a report released on Thursday by the business confederation, Confcommercio. https://www.thelocal.it/20140605/italy-lost-12000-businesses-in-three-months Thu, 05 Jun 2014 13:06:00 +0200 italy-lost-12000-businesses-in-three-months The number of Italian businesses opening up in Romania is on the rise, with 282 registering in the first two months of 2014 alone, according to new figures from the Italian foreign ministry. https://www.thelocal.it/20140527/italian-businesses-flock-to-romania Tue, 27 May 2014 15:11:00 +0200 italian-businesses-flock-to-romania Small and medium-sized businesses in Italy are being choked by the country’s hefty taxation system, with tax costs jumping to an average 63.1 percent this year from 59.1 percent in 2011, according to figures released on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.it/20140515/high-taxes-weigh-down-italys-small-firms Thu, 15 May 2014 17:49:00 +0200 high-taxes-weigh-down-italys-small-firms An estimated 111,000 Italian companies went bust in 2013, the highest number since 2001, according to figures released on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20140304/italy-sees-record-number-of-businesses-go-bust Tue, 04 Mar 2014 13:23:00 +0100 italy-sees-record-number-of-businesses-go-bust An estimated 60,000 Italians protested in central Rome on Tuesday, calling for greater action to save the millions of small- and medium-sized businesses which employ almost half the country's workforce. https://www.thelocal.it/20140218/italys-desperate-business-owners-march-on-rome Tue, 18 Feb 2014 18:33:00 +0100 italys-desperate-business-owners-march-on-rome In a telling sign of Italy’s changing entrepreneurial landscape, Mohammed is now the most common name among Milan's small business owners, trumping Giuseppe, according to a list from the city's Chamber of Commerce. https://www.thelocal.it/20130904/mohammed-most-common-name-among-milan-entrepreneurs Wed, 04 Sep 2013 16:09:00 +0200 mohammed-most-common-name-among-milan-entrepreneurs The Italian government has paid €5 billion of its debt to businesses, out of a total of €20 billion to be paid this year, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in a statement. https://www.thelocal.it/20130807/5-billion-boost-for-struggling-italian-firms Wed, 07 Aug 2013 14:33:00 +0200 5-billion-boost-for-struggling-italian-firms The shopkeeper of a souvenir shop by the Vatican is too busy talk. The Local has approached him on one of the busiest days of the week, Wednesday, when thousands flock to Saint Peter’s Square for an audience with the Pope. https://www.thelocal.it/20130621/pope-francis-xxx Fri, 21 Jun 2013 09:00:00 +0200 pope-francis-xxx Within ten years, small shops will be a thing of the past in Italy if the current rate of closures continues, the retail association Confesercenti warned today. The Local speaks to shop-owners to get their view on the worrying trend. https://www.thelocal.it/20130612/small-businesses-cant-afford-to-compete Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:29:00 +0200 small-businesses-cant-afford-to-compete