Identifies common practices to be aware of when selling in this market, e.g., whether all sales material need to be in the local language.
Last Published: 8/15/2019

A number of U.S. firms maintain their own sales organizations in Italy. Others sell through specialized importers or appoint sales agents who often are manufacturers' brokers. A large, well-established Italian firm with an efficient nationwide sales organization is likely to insist on an exclusive arrangement.  About 1,800 U.S. firms are represented in the Italian market through agents, branches, subsidiaries, or licenses.  Of these, about half have a substantial direct capital investment in the form of stock as a sole owner or partner in an enterprise.  Generally, the sales territory includes all of Italy. In other cases, the territory also covers all or part of the European Union, depending on the type of product and degree of technical support needed.  Italian distributors tend to have excellent contacts within Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean Basin.

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