Shoes, clothes: The French pounce on sporting goods
Year-to-date physical and online sales are up 21%, especially after an exceptional month of April. But there is a turning point…
Since the beginning of the year and despite the health restrictions in the first quarter, sales of sporting goods have been in good shape.
According to figures from Union Sport et Cycles (which accounts for 65% of the market by value), between January and the end of June, sales in stores and online grew by 21% compared to the same period in 2021 (where the market had already grown by 40%).
The jump in April, when these restrictions were lifted, is particularly impressive, with an increase of 132%! The French rushed to these articles to resume physical activity.
Textile sales tripled
In this exceptional month, footwear sales increased 225%, apparel sales increased 314% and equipment sales increased 49%.
It was physical stores that benefited the most, as online sales fell 38% on a year in April. “Online retail saw a gradual decline in sales between February and June. Overall, sales in this first half of the year fell by -14% compared to the previous year,” emphasizes the specialist organization.
“The improvement in sanitary conditions and the return to ‘normal’ life have benefited physical stores, which have won back a significant portion of the customers won by online businesses during the pandemic,” she continues.
However, the industry remains cautious. In fact, the month of June marked an end to this growth with a 6% annual decline, the first since the beginning of the year. Textiles suffer the most at -12%, ahead of shoes (-10%).
caution
“A figure that must be put into perspective, however, as it refers to a month of June 2021, which recorded an increase of +36%.” “Activity” estimates the Union Sport and Cycles.
Runaway inflation shouldn’t be unrelated to this sudden halt either, as consumers are now making choices about their spending habits.
“The current economic, political and health conditions call for the utmost caution in the face of these good results. The resurgence of the epidemic since May, the rise in inflation, supply difficulties and the shortage of raw materials are indicators to keep in mind when analyzing the growth of sporting goods companies in the coming months,” according to the organization.
