Asics Europe managed to carry on its vigorous expansion in the first quarter, with sales advancing by 13 percent in constant currencies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The growth was driven by the brand's running, tennis and lifestyle products.
Sales of running footwear jumped by 16 percent for the quarter, while those of running apparel were up by 10 percent for men and 16 percent for women. Asics Europe boasts market leadership in France for performance running apparel.
The growth was spectacular in tennis, which has become Asics Europe's second category behind running. Tennis apparel sales soared by 56 percent and tennis footwear sales advanced by 22 percent. Asics describes itself as the fastest-growing major tennis footwear brand in Europe, and the market leader in Spain and France, based on NPD Sports Tracking Europe numbers for the quarter.
Rugby is another sport that will be a focus for Asics Europe in the coming months. Ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup to be held in England in September and October, Asics will be launching rugby product innovations in partnership with the Springboks of South Africa and the Australian Wallabies, the national teams for which Asics is the kit sponsor.
The company further indicates that there is strong momentum behind its lifestyle footwear. Asics Tiger, the lifestyle-take of the group's performance range, achieved triple-digit sales expansion for the quarter.
The growth was broad-based in geographic terms. Strong single-digit sales expansion was reported in the U.K., Spain and Denmark, while the company's subsidiaries in France, Italy, Austria, Poland, Benelux, Russia and Sweden all delivered double-digit sales growth. Retail sales were up by 27 percent in the group's own European flagship stores and retail outlets.
The global advertising campaign launched by Asics earlier this year supported brand awareness in Europe. It reached its highest-ever level in the quarter, based on an Ipsos brand tracking study in Germany, Italy, France, the U.K., Sweden and the Netherlands. As detailed elsewhere in this issue, the campaign continues this month with a tennis-specific iteration around Gaël Monfils, the spectacular French player.
