NPD Group indicates that the French sports apparel and footwear market declined by 5 percent in the six months ended in September, but the fitness sector remained relatively stable. According to NPD, total sales of fitness clothing, footwear and equipment after VAT amounted to €630 million in France in 2007, representing 7 percent of the total retail market for sporting goods.
Sales of home fitness equipment are included in this estimate, published by NPD in its annual Global Sport Survey, but sales of professional fitness equipment to the gyms are excluded (more at www.npd.com). Again no details were available for other countries covered by NPD, which wants to sell its studies.
Meanwhile, suppliers of ski products are looking with guarded optimism at the current season all over Europe, as much more snow has been falling all over the Alps, on the Pyrenees and in the Nordic countries over the last few weeks than at this time in the last couple of years. Even the Nordic ski market may enjoy a recovery. The region of Vaukatti around Snowpolis in Finland is currently covered by 20 centimeters of snow, allowing about 26 kilometers of tracks for cross-country skiing to be in service.
The early snow this year has brought some relief for Norwegian sporting goods retailers and may just save them from the financial crisis. Current levels indicate that this season may see record amounts of snow. Norspro magazine reports positive organic growth for the segment as a whole, with some retail chains seeing growth of 10 percent for the months of October and November, as compared to last year’s results during the same period.
Like in some other European countries, the bike segment has also seen positive results in Norway, with sales of 400,000 units so far in 2008, including imports; 7 percent of Norwegians said they bought a new bicycle this year. A recent report shows that cycling is booming in Stockholm, even during the winter: the number of winter cyclists in the city of Stockholm city is double the level of four years ago, while the number of cyclists all year round is up by 30 percent as compared to one year ago.
On the other hand, construction of Sweden’s new national stadium outside Stockholm, Swedbank Arena, has been delayed after the building company announced that it was having financial difficulties; the stadium is supposed to open in 2011.
Positive figures are coming from the French cycling market, too, and French retailers have apparently anticipated the rebound in the ski sector. FIFAS, the French sporting goods industry federation, reports that suppliers have recorded increases in preliminary orders for the current Fall/Winter season of 6 percent for alpine skis and 4 percent for alpine ski boots overall. Sales of these products to French retailers fell considerably in 2007, ending up with 406,000 pairs of skis and 475,000 pairs of ski boots.
The early and abundant snowfalls on the French Alps that marked the 2007-08 season have evidently led retailers to replenish their inventories. The current season looks promising as the snow started to fall in October. The major French ski resorts indicate stable bookings, in contrast with a slight decline in reservations for foreign destinations.
The major ski brands have been organizing a series of free tests for their new products. This is covering the high-altitude resorts of Val Thorens, Val d’Isère, Le Grand Bornand and Alpe d’Huez over four weekends from Nov. 22 to Dec. 14.
