Learn Italian: A gennaio iniziano i saldi. - In January the sales start.

Italian word order is quite flexible! When a sentence starts with a time expression like A gennaio, it is very common to put the subject after the verb. Saying A gennaio i saldi iniziano is also correct, but putting i saldi at the end sounds very natural and slightly emphasizes exactly what is starting.

The English translation says 'In January', but the Italian uses the preposition a. Can I say in gennaio?

Yes, you can! When talking about months of the year, Italian lets you use either a or in. Both a gennaio and in gennaio are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing.

Why is the verb iniziano in the plural form?

The verb must match its subject, which is i saldi (the sales). Even though the subject hides after the verb in this sentence, it is a plural noun, so you need the plural 'they' form of the verb iniziare, which is iniziano.

Does i saldi refer to business sales figures, or shopping discounts?

It specifically means store discounts or seasonal clearance sales. If you wanted to talk about a company's business sales numbers or a sales department, you would use a different word: le vendite.