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Milan, known for its rich culinary traditions and warm hospitality, boasts a diverse HoReCa landscape, with 12,418 licensed venues catering to both locals and tourists. With CGA’s Outlet Index, brands can explore consumer engagement with these channels, including visitation, popular occasion types, dayparts, beverage choices and influencing factors shaping behaviour.
Bar Landscape in Milan
Milan’s bar scene is a vibrant hub for socializing and unwinding, with a total of 4,963 establishments. Among these, 50% specialize in breakfast offerings, while an additional 27% cater to lunch, 16% to Digestifs, and 7% to the cherished aperitif tradition. When it comes to their location, 42% of these bars are nestled in suburban areas, with another 35% in semi-central regions, and 20% centrally situated. Notably, a sizeable proportion of evening bars (58%) can be found in semi-central areas, surpassing the citywide bar average. These insights serve as invaluable tools for beverage suppliers seeking to fine-tune their supply and distribution strategies in strategic locations, offering a clear path to maximize their impact in Milan’s On Premise.
Italian Flavour in the Dining Experience
There are over 6,000 restaurants in Milan, where dinner (57%) holds the top spot as the primary dining occasion followed by lunch (34%). Italian cuisine holds a special place in Milan’s heart, with half of restaurants proudly serving authentic Italian dishes. Notably, 2% of restaurants in Milan offer a high-end dining experience, catering to consumers seeking an elevated culinary journey.
Accommodations promoting tourism opportunities
Milan warmly welcomes travellers with a range of accommodations. In the city centre, hotels account for 81% of accommodation facilities, while 19% are Bed & Breakfasts. In addition, 2.5% of hotels are high-end or offer a luxury experience and, of these, 2 out of 3 are strategically located in the centre. Access to such a comprehensive breakdown of market segments can allow suppliers to diversify their operations while optimising their strategies to target specific consumer groups.
Beyond Milan: Expansion of Insights Across Italy
While Milan thrives as an essential hospitality hub, Outlet Index broadens brands’ perspectives by detailing the area of opportunities in other prominent cities.
Turin, for instance, boasts over 6,500 outlets, with a unique focus on Italian restaurants, bars, and pizzerias. Within this urban setting, the variety of bars is extensive, comprising nearly 3,300 establishments, and they account for about 50% of the total number of venues (unlike in Milan where restaurants dominate in numbers). In particular, traditional bars or cafeterias dominate (49%), followed by multifunctional bars (27%).
In Rome, the number of venues comes to around 20,200, which places the eternal city at the top of the list of Italian municipalities for the presence of consumption outlets.
In Florence, another Italian metropolis, there are about 4,000 premises and the scene is dominated by restaurants (almost 50% of consumption points), followed by bars, accommodation facilities and other sales outlets such as delicatessens, rotisseries, bakeries, etc. For suppliers, understanding the dynamics of valuable channels is key to boosting sales in this vibrant city.
Optimise your strategy with Outlet Index
CGA by NIQ’s Outlet Index provides an in-depth look at the licensed outlets that make up Italy’s HoReCa landscape. With detailed insights on all out-of-home and licensed outlets across Italy, including location, segment, and personalized licensed indicators, the Outlet Index provides food and beverage suppliers the tools needed to redefine targeting strategies, drive listings and increase market share.
Daniela Cardaciotto, CGA by NIQ’s Senior Sales Consultant, said: “Milan is a city where culinary excellence meets hospitality, and the Outlet Index is the key to unlocking its full potential. Clients harnessing the power of Outlet Index’s capabilities in the Italian On Premise are entering a new era of strategic insight. With the Outlet Index, we are not just providing data; we are offering businesses a compass to navigate this dynamic landscape. It enables our clients to unearth hidden opportunities, tailor their offerings precisely, and make data-driven investment decisions wisely.”
Daniela Cardaciotto, CGA by NIQ’s Senior Sales Consultant, said: “Milan is a city where culinary excellence meets hospitality, and the Outlet Index is the key to unlocking its full potential. Clients harnessing the power of Outlet Index’s capabilities in the Italian On Premise are entering a new era of strategic insight. With the Outlet Index, we are not just providing data; we are offering businesses a compass to navigate this dynamic landscape. It enables our clients to unearth hidden opportunities, tailor their offerings precisely, and make data-driven investment decisions wisely.”
Outlet Index is a robust outlet universe database, covering and segmenting all On Premise outlets available within the market to the CGA global market segmentation.
To learn more about CGA’s Outlet Index and how it supports suppliers’ sales and marketing strategies across Italy’s On Premise, contact Daniela Cardaciotto at daniela.cardaciotto@nielseniq.com.
