Padel’s rise from niche sport to commercial equal of tennis in Spain marks a structural shift in racquet-sports footwear — one that brands and retailers across Europe can no longer treat as a local anomaly.
Padel has drawn even with tennis when it comes to shoe sales in Spain, according to Diffusion Sport, which cites data from Circana. Each sport now accounts for about 50 percent of shoe-sale revenues. Padel enjoyed an 18 percent increase in shoe revenues last fiscal year, whereas tennis suffered a contraction.
Channel-wise, physical retail dominates e-commerce in Spain 72 to 28 percent for racquet- sports footwear and apparel revenue. Circana notes similar growth in both channels.
In Circana’s European SCS data, covering Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the UK, racquet sports generate some 2 percent of the total revenue for sports footwear and apparel, and within that 2 percent footwear leads apparel at an approximate 55/45 split.
Shoe sales are the primary engine of growth in four of the five markets, the exception being France, where shoe sales have declined.
