Swedish sporting goods sales grew every month of the second quarter, accelerating from 3.1% in April to 13.5% in June - but the trade association behind the data itself is flagging household purchasing power and the wider economy as the swing factors for whether this pace holds.
Swedish sporting goods retailers posted a 7.6% increase in total sales in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to Sportindex, a quarterly measure produced by the industry association Svenskt Sportforum in partnership with HUI Research.
The result extends a two quarter growth streak in the first half of the year, following a weak close to 2025.
The index tracks monthly retail performance across physical stores and ecommerce, broken down by apparel, footwear, and equipment, as well as roughly 20 product categories. It draws on validated, anonymized, and aggregated sales data from a panel of leading Swedish retailers that includes Stadium, Stadium Outlet, Intersport, Team Sportia, Sportringen, Löplabbet, Bike Nation, Sportshopen, and the sporting goods divisions of Boozt and Booztlet.
Growth built steadily through the quarter: Sales rose 3.1% in April, 6.5% in May, and 13.5% in June, according to the index. Physical retail sales climbed 6.2% over the quarter, while ecommerce grew 12.7%, continuing a strong start to the year for online sales.
All three major product categories tracked by the index posted gains. Equipment sales rose 9.0%, apparel 5.4%, and footwear 2.6%, with several product areas contributing to the quarter’s performance, Sportindex reports.
Jonas Linder, chief executive officer of Svenskt Sportforum, said the first half shows the sector has returned to a “stable growth path,” though future performance will continue to depend on household purchasing power, the broader economy, and global conditions.
Lars Palmgren, chief executive officer of SGN Sport, the Swedish retail group behind Team Sportia, Sportringen, and Bike Nation, added that stronger household spending and heightened interest in Swedish football coincided with higher store traffic during the quarter, which in turn supported sales across multiple product categories.
