NPD Group is to provide a consumer study for the sporting goods market in Japan. The international marketing research firm currently provides the same service for markets in the USA, France, UK, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Holland. The group tracks apparel, footwear and sporting equipment throughout the supply chain and makes detailed studies of consumer attitudes and demographic evolution, as well as providing details on distribution networks, volume of sales and market shares. NPD has found that the sports market in Tokyo and Osaka alone was worth about 203 billion yen (€1,238m-$1,816m) for the 3-month period from June to August. Apparel represented 44 percent of this total, footwear 35 percent and equipment the balance. Golf is the most important sporting segment in the two cities, according to NPD, generating sales of around 29 billion yen (€177m-$259m) in the same three months.

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