Cotton Inc confirms US athletic apparel market is worth $30 billion a year
06/11/2012
In a new Retail Monitor survey that the organisation has carried out, Cotton Inc repeats a figure that research consultancy NPD Group gave in August, saying that the athletic apparel sector in the US is now worth $30 billion a year. Cotton Inc’s survey says retailers and brands across the board have added between 10% and 13% to the size of their athletic apparel ranges in the last year.
According the information Cotton Inc has put together, further growth in athletic clothing will be led by genuine participants in athletic activity, but it says 61% of consumers between the ages of 13 and 70 say they exercise on two or more days per week. However, 93% of consumers now say they are happy to wear athletic clothing for non-athletic activities.
It found that while the average spend per week on athletic clothes is $38 among people who exercise on at least five days per week compare, people who do no exercise regularly were still spending an average of $31 per week on sports clothing.
Of specific importance to Cotton Inc, comfort and softness emerged from the survey as the most important qualities that active consumers look for in sports apparel. Of active people who took part, 42% said this was important to them, beating the fit of garments (24%) and moisture wicking functionality (14%).
Share this story:
