Just as the winter selling season commences on a promising note, the NPD Group has brought out figures showing that France comes second in size to the USA in a world ranking of the major winter sports markets. Just ahead of the Canadian and German markets, France generated a turnover of €757 million in 2006, including ski rentals and ski maintenance, but excluding consumer spending on ski passes, lodging or travel to ski resorts. Only an inch behind, the German market generated a turnover of €744 million the same year.
The group found that the total turnover of the winter sports market in the whole of Europe came to €3,720 million in 2006, including Russia and all of Scandinavia. According to NPD, European snow-related apparel sales have little overlap with fashion clothing. Therefore, even counting Scandinavia, not much snow wear is worn off the mountain.
Top-end products did well on the French market in 2006, especially in the ski resorts, and sales in that segment as the country welcomed more foreign visitors with a higher buying power. Sales of winter sports apparel came to €302 million in France in 2006, and according to NPD, partnerships with fashion designers will increase the potential for sales outside the resorts.
In the mountain resorts the number of French visitors is sinking and the number of foreign visitors is increasing. This has negatively affected the medium-priced segment of the market, which saw a big drop in sales in resort outlets. Vendors like Décathlon or Go Sport have preferred to stay out of these markets.
French consumers tend to buy as much as possible before coming to the mountains and prefer to bring everything with them, while foreign consumers tend to spend more on-site in the ski resorts. The French make comparatively more purchases at Décathlon or Go Sport to get better deals on winter sports apparel.
From mid-2006 to June 2007, average prices for snow sports apparel rose compared with the previous period, although they sank somewhat in the children’s category. The average price of ski trousers also fell. The highest proportion of turnover in the snow apparel segment is generated from sales of ski trousers, followed in decreasing order by anoraks, gloves and overalls. Sales of women’s ski apparel has increased, in contrast with decreases in the children and men’s segments.
Sales of winter sports equipment and related services were worth €454 million in France in 2006, and they have fared better in high-altitude resorts.
