Winter sales in Lazio region to begin officially on 12 January 2021 but are expected to start in mid-December.

The winter sales season in Rome and throughout Lazio begins officially on Tuesday 12 January 2021, however sales are expected to begin in some stores before Christmas, in an effort to boost businesses struggling due to the covid-19 crisis, according to reports in local media.

Similar to what happened with the 2020 summer sales, the Lazio region is to modify legislation that prohibits the retail sector from "promotional sales" in the 30 days preceding the start of the sales season.

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This will mean effectively that clothes stores in Rome and across the Lazio region can sell discounted items from mid-December. An exact date is expected in the coming days, with Rome newspaper Il Messaggero reporting it will "probably" be Thursday 10 December.

Sales normally begin on a Saturday but it has been decided to try and avoid large crowds as seen with the recent opening of Maximo, Rome's new third-largest shopping mall off Via Laurentina, south of the EUR district.

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During sales, shopkeepers are obliged to display clearly the prices on items for sale, with the original price tag alongside the new discounted price.

Discounts are only allowed on stock already in the shop before the sales, not on items bought in at a discount.

Photo credit: Stefano_Valeri / Shutterstock.com.