In Italy, street vending is in the hands of foreign-born entrepreneurs. Street vending businesses headed by immigrants account for 57 percent of the 160,000 businesses that animate the markets in Italy. Trade nomads represent a significant slice of the entire Italian commercial sector, 21 percent. In other words, one out of every five trade operators in Italy is a hawker. These are some of the figures that emerge from the 2023 analysis conducted by Unioncamere. This sector stands out for the high concentration of businesses led by entrepreneurs of a specific nationality. For example, in San Nicola la Strada 86.4 percent of hawker entrepreneurs come from Senegal, while in Lamezia Terme 64 percent they have Moroccan origins. In Castel Volturno, on the other hand, the most represented community is Nigerian with 59.1 percent. At the national level, the main country of origin of itinerant business entrepreneurs is Morocco, with 30,000 businesses. This is followed by Senegal and Bangladesh both with 12 thousand businesses. Thirty-seven percent of stalls sell clothing, 20 percent foodstuffs.
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