Federpreziosi Confcommercio has carried out a second survey, proposing an online anonymous questionnaire with the aim of collecting more information on how gold retailers are dealing with the COVID-19 emergency.
The results concern primarily retail businesses – 85% of the 500 interviewees. With regard to the 425 retailers’ type of company, 47% are individual firms, about 27% are Srls (LTDs), 21% are Sncs (Corporations), including uninominal ones. 74.6% is constituted by 1 to 3 workers, 20.6% by 4 to 8 workers, and only 4.8% by more than 10 workers.
The most critical aspects following the government restrictions for the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic are the difficulties that had already been addressed throughout the process of contacting directly with the local associations: first of all, having to meet suppliers’ payments (75.6%), followed by the lack of financial liquidity (66.2%); and, almost equally (61.2%), the criticality of tax and duty payments.
59% of those who responded the questionnaire carry out their businesses in rented workspaces. 47.5% of these declare that they have paid and will continue paying the rent regularly, while 33% are having difficulties and 19.5% are thinking of asking for a renegotiation of the contract.
A sign that is not too reassuring and which comes from the data on web sales concerns the evolution of the gold business in the digital world: 70% of those who answered the form say they do not make online sales, 19.2% sell through their website and 10.8% rely on third-party platforms.
Finally, the requests for home deliveries are of little importance; they amount to 20.4% and are mostly made by phone (14.4%), via Whatsapp (14%) or via Facebook (11.6%).