Outdoor Product Sales Barely Rise in January
OutdoorHub 02.21.12
Outdoor Industry Association and The SportsOneSource Group released today the January 2012 OIA VantagePoint Outdoor Industry Monthly Trend Report, which caps off the fiscal year with some complex results — mostly due to the unusually late and tame onset of winter. January experienced a slow one percent growth to $769.5 million for the month, which is just one piece of the past year’s unusual puzzle.
The overall Outdoor Products market finished up 6.1 percent to $11.7 billion in the channels tracked by SportScanInfo™ for OIA VantagePoint™, with the Mall Retailer channel benefitting from Minimalist Running product sales and the Internet channel continuing strong growth, gaining 18.7 percent for the 12-month period ending January 28, 2012, on strong sales of footwear and apparel. The Independent Outdoor Specialty and Outdoor Chain Specialty retail channels both logged solid gains for the year as well, up 12.5 percent and 7.2 percent respectively.
Focusing on the four-week fiscal month of January, Outdoor Footwear retail sales went negative, declining 5.1 percent to $170.7 million as the buy-now, wear-now consumer found little reason to purchase boots in a winter that has been lacking snow and cold. Though sales of Outdoor Footwear declined in the high-single digits in the men’s and women’s business, kids’ Outdoor Footwear sales grew more than 20 percent for the month. Outdoor Footwear represented 82.8 percent of all footwear sold through the combined outdoor specialty channels in January 2012, compared to 83.3 percent in January 2011, thanks to lower outdoor boot sales and higher sales of non-outdoor running footwear.
Outdoor Apparel sales posted a 2.2 percent increase in sales in January, growing to $370.1 million. The combined outdoor specialty channels outpaced the broader retail market in the apparel category, growing 5.5 percent for the month. Despite the unseasonable weather, Outdoor Outerwear grew more than 20 percent for the month as the fashion side of the business kept consumers looking for key styles from top-of-the-pyramid brands. Soft Shell Jackets, Convertible 3-in-1 Jackets and Full-Zip Fleece Jackets were the biggest gainers during the month.
The overall Outdoor Hardgoods business grew 3.8 percent to $228.6 million for the fiscal month, with the combined outdoor specialty channels (Independent Outdoor Specialty plus Outdoor Chain Specialty) outpacing the broader market with an 11.8 percent increase in January sales. A further nod to weather anomalies, Paddlesports products represented 20.3 percent of the Outdoor Hardgoods business in the combined outdoor specialty segment, versus 18.5 percent of sales in January 2011, with Snow Sports sales falling to 17.9 percent of sales for the month versus 28.9 percent in January last year.
The SportsOneSource Group is forecasting sales of outdoor products at retail will increase in the high-single digit range in fiscal 2012, with Outdoor Footwear matching the overall trend as a more moderate (but still strong) trend in Mimimalist and Barefoot Footwear will be offset by a stronger third and fourth quarter for the boots business if winter returns to the U.S. Outdoor Apparel is also expected to meet the overall trend for the year and Outdoor Hardgoods is forecast to grow in the mid-single-digit range in fiscal 2012 on stronger Paddlesports sales and a strong return for Snow Sports Equipment.
OIA VantagePoint is the first and only full market point-of-sale data view built specifically for Outdoor Industry Association members. OIA VantagePoint provides comprehensive visibility into the outdoor marketplace by tracking weekly point‐of‐sale data from more than 10,000 retail doors and Web sites carrying outdoor products, including nearly 450 outdoor specialty locations and the broadest view of outdoor product Internet sales available in the market. In‐depth sales information is available online within five days of the prior week close — a competitive advantage for businesses who can shift critical resources and react quickly to ever-changing consumer preferences.
