Retail Food in Venice

This page contains information regarding retail food in Venice from the Chamber of Commerce and the ShoppMappApp (created by the 2015 Shops Team).

Since 1951, Venice has lost two-thirds of its population. It went from a booming 175,300 in 1951 to only 57,300 in 2015. At the same time, food stores have been declining.

Food Store Closure

Since 1996, around 500 food stores have closed, going from 1,100 to 530 in 2015. That means that 49% of all the food stores that ever existed in Venice have closed since 1924. These can be found on the map that has been included.

Map of the open (green) and closed (red) food stores in Venice.

Supermarkets Opening

While these small food stores have been closing, supermarkets, on the other hand, have grown since the mid-90s. In 1994, there were only 5 supermarkets located in the historic center of Venice, while today 24 are in existence. Among these, 7 have opened since 2009. These newer supermarkets are popping up in areas with low residential population, indicating that the tourist population is what is sustaining these supermarkets.

Figure indicates the supermarkets (red and blue) and the population density as cited from the 2011 Census Tract.

It is also worth noting that these newer supermarkets have been appearing along commuting routes and near boat stops.