The German sporting goods market grew by 3 percent in 2015, according to the NPD Group, driven by female customers' purchases (we published a big report on the women's sports market in Germany last year). Purchases of athletic or sports-inspired apparel and footwear made by German customers online jumped by 17 percent to over €2 billion, or 30 percent of the market for these products.
The total market reached a level of €13.4 billion based on NPD's definition of the market, which also includes bicycles, among other products. It estimates that bicycles and other types of equipment represented 48 percent of the market. Our definition of market size lies in-between those of NPD and VDS, the German sporting goods retailers' federation, which estimates that the market excluding bicycles grew by only 0.9 percent to €7,373 million. Unlike NPD's consumer panel, which covers all the channels of distribution, VDS collects its data mainly from specialty sporting goods retailers.
NPD reports that purchases made by women accounted for 39 percent of the total German sports apparel and footwear market. They contributed 69 percent of the total growth, with only 25 percent of this growth coming from purchases made by women who take part in sports at least once a week. Sports garments that are worn casually accounted for 75 percent of the growth.
As before, shoes performed better than apparel, according to NPD, which noted that German consumers paid on average €59 for a pair of sports shoes, 40 percent more than those in the other major Western European countries. The sneakers of the major sports brands and other sports-inspired shoes are included in NPD's count.
The total consumption of sports shoes grew by 6 percent, according to NPD, led by the Sport Style and Skateboard category, which accounted for 43 percent of the sports shoe market and for 75 percent of its growth. On the other hand, NPD's consumer survey indicates that the running lifestyle boom came to an end, as spending on running shoes grew by only 2 percent in 2015, down from the 16 percent increase of the previous year. Sales of running shoes intended for running and jogging kept rising, recording a sales increase of 7 percent.
Sales of sports apparel - online and offline - increased by one percent, but purchases made online grew by 11 percent and represented one-third of the total market in Germany. In addition to Intersport and Decathlon, Zalando, Amazon and H&M gained market share in this highly competitive market. As expected, sales of football shirts declined. Skiwear went down, too. In contrast, sales of tops and bottoms with a fitted cut continued to rise as more people are running or going to the gym.
NPD's market research also shows that black is holding steady as the dominant color in sports shoes, with a rate of 25 percent of purchases made in Germany. White continued to decline, down to a level of 12 percent of sales, but it is expected to enjoy a revival this spring. Blue is nearing a five-year high and a saturation point in Germany.
VDS, which has better figures than NPD about the snow sports market, estimates that German retailers' sales of alpine skis grew by 6 percent during the 2015 calendar year, with a big jump in the first three months offset by a decline in the last few months due to the weather. Sales of touring skis went up by 30 percent. The turnover in ski boots grew by 12 percent, with the average price going up. Sales of snowboards were flat and those of ski helmets fell by 5 percent as most skiers already have one. As for the outdoor market, VDS estimates that it rose by 2 percent in Germany for the full year, in spite of the 5 percent increase recorded by mid-2015.
