The sporting goods retailers affiliated with Intersport International Corp. raised their sales by around 2 percent to a total value of around €10.5 billion in 2014, with an increase of 3 percent in local currencies. Double-digit increases in football, running and fitness more than offset flat sales of outdoor products and a weather-related decline of more than 10 percent for snow sports products – two categories that tend to represent close to 40 percent of the average Intersport retailer's business. 

The football World Cup had a particularly positive effect in Germany, the largest market within the group, where Intersport Germany sold more than 600,000 national team shirts, more than double the volume sold for the previous World Cup or the European football championships. Softgoods were the drivers in the fitness sector, as the relatively poor economic conditions discouraged purchases of the costlier fitness equipment.

The past year started out badly, with a drop of 8 percent in the month of January because of the missing winter, even though categories like running, fitness or bike did very well. As winter products became less important and other factors improved from the month of March onwards, Intersport's international retail network ended up with an overall sales increase of 5.5 percent for the first nine months of 2014. The month of October was satisfactory, but November and December were very challenging, with a drop of more than 10 percent in most of the major markets due to unseasonably mild weather conditions, except for the last week of the year.

January 2015 has been pretty good across the European continent, but so far, the overall score has been negative for the present autumn/winter season. It will be positive only if February is good, but most buyers will probably be cautious for the next cold season.

As we have already reported, Intersport suffered a sales decline in Switzerland last year, and the banner had a tough time also in other countries such as Finland and Spain, even though sales in Spain started to increase again on a comparable store basis. We have also reported on Intersport's recovery in Italy, in spite of tough market conditions. Positive results were scored by the national Intersport organizations in France, Germany, the U.K. and Canada. This was also the case in Austria on a comparable basis, without considering the sales of Sport Eybl & Sports Experts in 2013.

Intersport UK fared particularly well in 2014, posting another double-digit sales increase in a region where it still doesn't have the same high market share as in other parts of Europe. There was a slight drop in the number of retail members in the U.K. and Ireland, due to the retirement of a couple of retailers and consolidation among the remaining partners. However, the total number of their stores increased from 263 to 274 in the course of the year, with particularly strong expansion for three banners: Intersport DW grew to a total of 73 stores, the new Intersport Sporting Pro to 16 doors, and another affiliated retailer, Intersport Tony Price, to 17 units. With 53 stores and a new lease of life with Intersport's support, Elverys Sports performed well in Ireland.

Run by Kesko out of Finland, Intersport's relatively small business in Russia enjoyed a recovery, in spite of the local economy. The banner achieved very good results in most of the East European countries and flat sales in most of the Scandinavian countries. As previously reported, Intersport has pulled out of South Korea, but it has entered the Australian market, where it already has 41 affiliated stores. The 10 Intersport stores opened so far in China are doing well, and at least five others are due to be opened in the country this year.

In a trend that will have a positive, long-term effect on the image of the banner, new and relatively large Intersport stores were opened last year in the downtown areas of big cities such as Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona and Milan. This trend will continue, says Franz Julen, the chief executive of IIC. This year will also see the implementation of new specialist retailing concepts in the areas of running, fitness and outdoor products, but Julen didn't want to provide any details at this stage.