The gold business has been put to the test in the latest weeks. The Covid-19 health emergency has changed the national and international scenario. Federpreziosi has carried out a study on 500 gold operators. The aim of such research was to collect useful data to support Confcommercio with regard to institutions. Through an online questionnaire, companies have expressed their concern about the effects of this health emergency and the inevitable economic damage.
The first urgent request was the suspension of the IRPEF, INPS and INAIL payments, a measure that was considered necessary by about 71% of the sample of Italian gold operators who participated in the survey.
Following, by approximately ten percent (59.9%), it was considered necessary to make provision for appropriations of extraordinary subsidies to support businesses, to extend local tax payments for all territories and all categories (58.2%), to give incentives to promote the liquidity of businesses and moratorium for future loan and leasing instalments (53.7%).
52.5% claims the inevitability of the declaration of a state of disaster for the whole country and for all businesses and the consequent extension of measures to the whole territory in support of the red zones. At the same time, it is believed that a strong boost to trade and to the image of Italy in the world is necessary, through national and international initiatives for promoting the made-in-Italy brands y (44.7%). Other measures which are considered absolutely appropriate are: the institution of an integration fund and cash fund also for micro and small enterprises in the tertiary sector (36.4%) and the abolition of the limits introduced by the Finance Law of 30 December 2019 for access and/or permanence in the “flat-rate” tax regime and the reintroduction of the previous requirements (25.3%).
The sample of operators that contributed to provide a first picture of the situation consists of 83% of retail companies, about 8.5% manufacturing companies and the remaining 8.5% were wholesalers and other types of businesses. These were micro and very small enterprises, 55.3% of which are made up of a single employee, while 41% reach up to ten employees.
Finally, all were asked to generally determine the percentage of the estimated fall in sales from 22 February to the date of the completion of the form (4 p.m. on 9 March) in comparison to the previous year, same time span. 26.3% reported a drop of 40-50%, 19.5% from 30 to 40%, while 19.1% suffered a drop of about 20-30%.
Among the free reflections expressed by operators, what stood out was the need for a strategic and large-scale rethinking of actions in support of neighbourhood trade as a sign of revival of entire historic centers and relational and social support.
However, Federpreziosi does not stop there and will carry out a new survey starting from March 13.