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Sports Apparel Monitor 2002

2002

The good news is that consumers bought 3% more sports apparel garments in 2001 than in the previous year – some 3.5 billion pieces, all told. The bad news is that they spent so much less for them that total spending for sports apparel declined 2.3%. This is stark evidence of pervasive price-cutting and bargain-hunting throughout the entire apparel industry, where consumers have an abundance of choices about where to shop and what to buy. Looking again on the bright side, research by The NPD Group indicates that the sports apparel segment, which represents about 21% of all apparel, has been doing as well as – or even a little better than – the apparel industry as a whole over the past four years. The short-term outlook for sports apparel as a whole is for continued flat sales in an atmosphere of severe price competition. Against this backdrop, manufacturers with strong sports heritages continue to innovate with new materials, designs and construction techniques. This is the energy source for the sports apparel segment and for much of the apparel industry as a whole. Successful companies from this group will experience growth well beyond the industry average. As their innovations are embraced by athletes, they will filter out to the larger world and touch us all. This report provides a historical overview of sales, usage and sport participation data, 1994-2000, highlighting sport apparel market trends, buying habits and sport-specific purchases. 2002 Edition (16 pages)