The French market for sports shoes and apparel rose by 2 percent to €5.8 billion in 2010 after declining in 2008 and 2009. Sales, at retail price, totaled €3.8 billion for apparel and €2.0 billion for shoes. These partial figures were released by NPD Group, whose retail and consumer surveys cover only these two categories of sporting goods, including sports-inspired lifestyle products.
Meanwhile, preliminary figures put out by FPS, the French sporting goods retailers' federation, based on its members' input, show an increase in the total market of 1 percent, including equipment and accessories. Its monthly surveys indicate a major recovery in the second half of the year, thanks in part to weather conditions. Monthly sales fell year-on-year by 7 percent in May and 14 percent in June, for example, but grew by 17 percent in November and 2 percent in December.
A survey carried out by the research institute NPD showed that 75 percent of French people aged 16 years old and up bought at least one sports or sports-like apparel or footwear item. Each buyer made 4.9 purchases a year for an average spending of €128 over the period. On average, buyers went to the store 3.2 times and bought 1.5 items for average ticket of €40.
Multi-brand specialty stores controlled 61 percent of the market, gaining market share thanks to a decline among department stores, hypermarkets and mail orders. Internet sales rose by 7 percent in 2010. NPD identified 17 sites generating a turnover of more than €5 million a year in this sector.
Items purchased for women of more than 14 years old rose to 31 percent of total sales in 2010 from 30 percent a year earlier. The remainder was bought for men and children.
