Despite a snowy kick-off to the winter season, the sports retail sector in Sweden did not manage to post positive figures during the fourth quarter of 2024. While the snow provided a significant boost, sales declined by 0.4 percent. This marks the eighth consecutive quarter of negative trends in the Swedish sports retail industry, according to HUI Research.
Throughout the entire year of 2023, overall sales for the sports industry experienced a 1.1 percent decrease. However, sales in physical stores in Sweden saw a 0.6 percent increase during the quarter, while e-commerce, accounting for 18 percent of total sales, decreased by 5.2 percent.
Early snowfall led to a notable upswing in winter sports sales in the quarter, with growth rates of 26.3 percent for cross-country skis and 5.4 percent for alpine equipment. In October, the quarter’s first month, industry-wide growth stood at 10.8 percent. Despite these positive indicators, the industry could not reverse its negative trend.
