In Milan, an entire neighbourhood has been left without a supermarket: to do the shopping, you have to walk a kilometre

The closure of the only supermarket in the Sant’Ambrogio I neighbourhood, in Barona, leaves thousands of residents without a local shop. It is the elderly and families who are suffering the most, whilst the local council searches for a new operator…

The Sigma supermarket is located – or rather, was located – within the municipal covered market on Via San Paolino, alongside a chemist’s, a laundrette, a hairdresser’s and a café. This closure further depopulates an already struggling neighbourhood and makes life particularly difficult for the elderly and mothers with young children, who, even on sweltering days, have to travel long distances for their daily shopping. The nearest supermarket is now almost a kilometre away. For many elderly people, going shopping has become a real challenge…

We had already addressed this issue in this article: In Italy, small towns are being depopulated, including their shops: will Amazon Now provide the service in the future?: it seems this is not just an issue for villages but also for cities, such as Milan, where large-scale retail – with or without e-commerce – should play not only a commercial but also a social role…

Read also: In recent weeks, Carrefour Spain has launched a mobile supermarket to combat the decline of local shops

Written on 15 July, updated on 22 July 2026