Europe's outdoor sector 'shows resilience'
The European wholesale outdoor market was worth €5.82bn in 2019, an increase of 0.5% in value and 2.3% in volume compared with 2018.
The data comes from The European Outdoor Group (EOG), which has published its State of Trade research report.
The report covers products sold by over 100 outdoor companies in the apparel, footwear and hardware markets, and also includes outdoor figures from multisport/lifestyle brands.
After a flat year in 2018 (compared to 2017), the modest market growth demonstrates the resilience of the outdoor sector, before the COVID-19 pandemic, said the organisation.
The three largest country markets were Germany, France and the UK, which together represent 50% of the sector at €2.92bn - these larger markets remained stable at around the -1 to + 1 % range in terms of value development.
A mild winter and lack of snow had an impact on Scandinavia, while in the UK, Brexit uncertainty contributed to weaker consumer demand. As a result, more positive development came from Southern Europe, Benelux and Eastern Europe.
Overall, weather and market conditions had a negative impact on the apparel category, while hardware performed well and climbing continued to grow year on year (continuing momentum after 2018). After a tough previous year, footwear recovered well, with an increase in volume of 4.8%.
EOG’s head of market research Pauline Shepherd said: “Typically, we collect data from February and it’s testament to the commitment of our contributors that we have had such a high level of participation in the context of COVID-19. While the information took a little longer to come in and analyse than in the past, the quality of material was as high as ever and I’m delighted that we have been able to report these detailed positive results for 2019.”
Additional work carried out by the EOG during the last few months also indicates a sector with more market potential. The association’s COVID-19 market impact survey of members found a sector made up of businesses that were working closely together to support each other.
Key finding from the survey include:
• Brands have supported the sector by extending payment terms and re-warehousing stock
• The outdoor industry is in a stable position, with most companies stating that they can survive more than 12 months in the current situation
• Companies are positive about the future, stating that the industry will come out stronger, and that they expect more consumers to take part in outdoor activities.
