OIA VantagePoint: Outdoor Product Sales Maintain Moderate Growth in July

During the hottest July on record, sales growth for outdoor products maintained momentum according to point-of-sale data compiled by SportScanInfo for OIA VantagePoint.  Retail sales of outdoor products grew 4.2 percent to $812.7 million in the fiscal month of July 2012
 
The July trend built upon a 3.2 percent gain in June thanks to strong holiday sales early in the month, though sales tapered off the third and fourth weeks of the four-week period.
 
Specialty sales grew 7.8 percent, led by a nearly 20 percent increase in the Specialty Internet channel.  Online sales represented 13.5 percent of total specialty sales for the month ended July 28, 2012.
 
Outdoor Hardgoods sales increased 5.4 percent to $444.7 on impressive gains in Bicycling and Paddlesports sales.  Paddlesports growth was particularly robust (+22.4 percent) on double-digit increases in most Kayak categories and triple-digits gains in Stand Up Paddling.
 
Outdoor Footwear sales trend ticked up 4.1 percent to $220.7 million in July, an improvement over anemic growth in June.  Footwear got a lift from the resurgent Trailing Running and Sandals categories and on continued strength in Technical Hiking and Casual Outdoor Footwear.  This increased growth was offset by steeper declines in Barefoot Footwear and Light Hiking.
 
Outdoor Apparel inched up just 1.3 percent to $147.3 million in fiscal July, the weakest growth trend for the year-to-date period.  Sales were down across most key categories, though Outerwear, Active Bottoms and Apparel Accessories each posted double-digit gains for the four-week month.
 
OIA VantagePoint is the first and only full market point-of-sale data platform built specifically for the outdoor industry. Category reports are available at no charge to Outdoor Industry Association members and provide comprehensive visibility into the outdoor marketplace by tracking weekly point-of-sale data from more than 10,000 retail doors and websites that carry outdoor products, including nearly 450 outdoor specialty locations. It is the broadest view of both brick and mortar and Internet sales of outdoor products available in the market. In-depth sales information is available online within four days of the prior-week close – a competitive advantage for businesses who can shift critical resources and react quickly to ever-changing consumer preferences.

Outdoor Industry Association
 Based in Boulder, Colo., Outdoor Industry Association is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry and the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer. OIA supports the growth and success of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers of outdoor recreation apparel, footwear, equipment and services. For more information go to outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.

The SportsOneSource Group
 The SportsOneSource Group is a full service market research company delivering solutions through consumer insight research, retail insight research and retail point-of-sale trending and analysis. The company provides the most reliable, timely and comprehensive sports and outdoor industry information available in the market today. SportScanInfo is a SportsOneSource technology platform developed to compile, aggregate and disseminate aggregated retail point-of-sale information. SportsOneSource also publishes the Sports Executive Weekly and The B.O.S.S. Report executive newsletters, along with the SGB and SGB Performance print publications and their related online, email and digital products. For more information about The SportsOneSource Group call 303.987.3450 or go to SportsOneSource.com.