OIA VantagePoint: Outdoor Product Sales Up 5.2% in February

 

The combined outdoor specialty channels, represented by Independent Outdoor    Specialty and Outdoor Chain Specialty, slightly outpaced the broader market for the month, posting       an increase of 5.7% to $180.0 million. 

 

The Internet/Catalog channel again posted solid double-digit growth for outdoor products for the month. 

Growth was strongest in the Midwest and Northwest regions, with each region posting strong double-digit growth against easier comps against last year, while the Southwest was hurt by warm, dry weather that pushed outdoor product sales down in double-digits for the month. 
The fiscal month of February only represents approximately 5.5% of total annual sales in the outdoor products market, but is a critical month for inventory liquidation as retailers start to shift their floors from winter goods to spring/summer product. 

 

A shift in weather from deep winter cold to near-balmy temperatures in much of the country the third week of the month had consumers thinking about spring as Sandals, Casual Outdoor Slip-ons and Outdoor Activewear saw strong double-digit growth for the two weeks ending the month.

Overall Outdoor Footwear sales at retail were up 6.1% to $137.0 million for the four-week fiscal month ending February 26, 2011, while unit sales grew 7.6% for the period.  The result was a 3.8% decline in average selling prices for the period due to strong double-digit growth in Outdoor Sandals and other lower-priced categories. Warm weather outdoor casual categories and Outdoor Crosstraining (Outdoor XT) offset weaker — but still solid – growth trends in many of the boot categories.

Outdoor Footwear growth in the outdoor specialty channels, represented by the Independent Outdoor Specialty and Outdoor Chain Specialty channels, lagged behind growth in the broader market.
Outdoor Footwear posted 3.9% growth to $30.2 million in the combined outdoor specialty channels.

Retail sales of Outdoor Apparel grew 8.6% to $298.1 million for the four-week month ending February 26, 2011, with the combined outdoor specialty channels, represented by the Independent Outdoor Specialty and Outdoor Chain Specialty channels, posting growth of nearly double that of the broader market.  Excluding the Softlines Accessories business, Outdoor Apparel posted growth of 15% for February across the broader market.

Total Outdoor Apparel retail sales jumped 16% in the combined outdoor specialty channels.

The specialty growth was due in large part to 25% growth in the Independent Outdoor Specialty channel.  A surge in Outdoor Outerwear sales pushed Outdoor Apparel up by nearly half in the channel.
In contrast to a year ago when weaker inventory positions stifled Outdoor Outerwear sales growth in the Independent Outdoor Specialty channel, the retailers here had more inventory to sell this year and posted strong double-digit increases in average selling prices in February as Outdoor Outerwear took a bigger slice of the pie this year.
The Outdoor Hardgoods business was fairly flat for February, posting growth of 0.6% to $220.5 million versus the year-ago comparable month.  Sales of Outdoor Hardgoods in the combined outdoor specialty channels were down 5.6% to $61.6 million for the four-week fiscal month ending Feb. 26 as a high-single-digit decline in the Independent Outdoor Specialty channel more than offset a low-single-digit gain in the Outdoor Chain Specialty channel.

The Internet/Catalog channel was again a big winner in the Outdoor Hardgoods segment as the channel posted a mid-teens increase in sales for the fiscal month.  All other channels had low-single-digit gains for the period.

The fiscal month of March has reportedly started of f well, with OIA VantagePoint reporting a mid-single-digit gain for the first week of the fiscal month.