A survey recently conducted among the members of the German sporting goods industry federation, BSI, showed that 91 percent of them are satisfied with the current state of their business, and 51 percent assess it as good or very good. In addition, about half of the members saw their annual sales rising in the past year, while 18 percent recorded stable sales and 31 percent had a decline. For 2013, 72 percent expect stable sales, while 14 percent project an increase and 14 percent a decrease.
The order situation is getting better for 34 percent of the responding members, while 45 percent state that it is equivalent to the previous business year. Only 20 percent of the participating members report a decline in value for their order books. More positively, inventories were described as “normal” by 80 percent, while only 18 percent stated that their inventories were above average.
Twenty-one percent of participating members reported that they increased the number of employees in their companies, while 67 percent had no change and 12 percent had to reduce their staff.
In particular, suppliers of ski products estimate that their sales to German retailers will remain stable for the winter 2012-13 season compared with the 300,000 pairs they sold in Germany in the previous season. According to the BSI, sales to end consumers are currently exceeding those of the previous season. However, this does not apply directly to the suppliers, as retailers' inventories were still full and old stock was sold off at the beginning of the new season. Rocker skis account for 80 percent of sold skis. Sales of cross-country skis to the trade are expected to be stable at about 100,000 pairs.
The snowboard industry expects a further decline in sales to the trade from the 50,000 snowboards sold in Germany in the 2011-12 season and the 60,000 snowboards sold the winter before that. Kids and young adults want to learn to ski rather than to snowboard, and former snowboarders are switching to skis.
The German outdoor industry had a more or less stable year in 2012, says BSI, which expects a decrease in the number of outdoor retailers operating in the country. Sales of outdoor appare account for 50 percent of German suppliers' revenues, while shoes account for 30 percent and the remaining categories for 20 percent.
BSI had 142 members at the end of 2012, equivalent to the previous year, as five members resigned, while five new members came on board, among them Erhard Sport and Columbia Sportswear. Other members include international market leaders such as Adidas, Puma, Asics, Fischer, Völkl, Marker, Lowa, Vaude, Tatonka and Kettler. The German sporting goods industry is the direct or indirect employer of 120,000 people, generating annual sales of €11.3 billion. The outdoor section of the BSI will from now on be member of the European Outdoor Conservation Association.
