KMU Forschung Austria, a market research company that monitors small and medium-sized companies, estimates that the Austrian sporting goods retail market reached a level of €1,436 million before VAT last year. The growth was 4.3 percent including inflation, and 1.6 percent excluding price increases. On average, the inflation rate for all Austrian retailers was 3.1 percent last year. Shoe retailers were the biggest winners last year, with a 10 percent increase including inflation. Both industries benefited from a strong Christmas season in which shoe retailers boosted their sales by 15 percent and sporting goods retailers were up by 13 percent compared with the 2009 holiday season.

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