A lingering El Niño effect impacted retailers all over the country with a cool and wet April that dampened overall retail sales. However, over a year of pent-up consumer demand seems to have helped boost sales of Outdoor Equipment, Apparel and Footwear, which out-paced the overall market. While total retail sales in April were only up 0.5% according to Thompson Reuters data, Outdoor Equipment, Apparel and Footwear sales through the sporting goods, mall, department store, and discount/mass channels were up in the low-double digits, according to retail point-of-sale data compiled by SportScanInfo.
Sales of Outdoor Equipment, Apparel and Footwear through the specialty channel, a newly added feature for SportScanInfo, were up in the mid-teens. Data from the outdoor specialty channel will go live in July and includes a mix of independent outdoor specialty shops and larger national and regional chains that specialize in outdoor products.
Equipment sales fared better in April than they have since the beginning of the year, but the growth rate in equipment is still considerably slower than footwear and apparel. Overall Outdoor Equipment sales were up in the low-single digits with Tents, backpacking Stoves, Family Camping Equipment and Paddlesports posting the strongest gains.
Tent sales were up in the double digits for the month with Family Tents, Canopies/Screen Houses, and 1-2 person Backpacking tents showing growth. Larger Backpacking Tents saw slight declines in sales for the month as did Footprints and accessories. All of the growth in tent sales came from sporting goods and specialty retailers, with internet retailers showing considerable declines in the category.
All types of Stoves, Cookware and Campfire equipment showed sales declines for the month. Backpacking Stoves and Cookware were up in the high-single digits. Family Camping Equipment was driven by backyard-oriented cookware like Grills and Steamers, but Two-Burner Stoves also showed double-digit increases for the month. Sales in this category through the specialty channel were up in the double-digits, but this was more than offset by declines in other channels.
Sales of Water bottles were down for the month. While the category has been showing some signs of slowing, this is the first monthly decline since the initial BPA scares began several years ago.
Paddlesports sales were up in the mid-single digits, outpacing most other categories in the Outdoor Equipment market. Strong-double digit increases in kayaks were partially offset by a slight decline in Canoe sales. Kayaks were driven by entry-level categories like Recreational Kayaks and Sit-on-Tops. Both Sportsman’s and Whitewater kayak sales declined during the month. Canoe sales marched to the tune of a different drummer in April. Entry-level General Family Canoes showed heavy declines during the month but higher-end Cruising/Tripping Canoes showed a high-teens increase in sales. By Channel, Paddlesports equipment sales were strong in Specialty, Sporting Goods and Discount/Mass while Internet Paddlesports sales showed heavy declines.
Outdoor Apparel Sales were up in the high-single digits in April with a healthy mix of Spring/Summer Apparel and Outerwear driving the growth. However, there is evidence of heavier promotions this year average selling prices of Outdoor Apparel slipped 7.4% in April.
Spring/Summer Outdoor Apparel was up in the mid-teens for the month. Outdoor Short Sleeve Active Tops showed the strongest growth for the month, with Men’s product out-pacing Women’s. Sleeveless Active Tops also showed strong growth in April but the Women’s product drove the vast majority of the sales. Specialty retailers saw strong double-digit growth in both of these categories.
Outdoor/Adventure Shorts showed low-single digit growth. Again, Outdoor Skirts, Skorts and Dresses showed very strong growth, more than doubling in volume for the month. This growth was driven primarily by Dresses, but Skirts and Skorts showed double-digit gains as well.
The majority of growth in this category came from specialty retailers.
Outdoor outerwear was up in the mid-single digits for the month, driven primarily by the unseasonable cool and wet weather from the Sierras to New England. Outdoor Shell Jackets were up in the high-single digits while the Rainwear category was up in the 20% range.
Outdoor Specialty Footwear sales were up more than 30% in April with broad-based sales increases in nearly every category. Hybrid/Water Shoes and Sandals drove much of the growth. Even Technical Hiking Footwear, which has been lagging behind for much of the year, showed strong double-digit gains during the month.
Hybrid/Water Shoes were driven primarily by the success of Vibram’s Five Fingers product, but also saw strong growth from Keen and Merrell. Most of the growth came from men’s product, which more than doubled in volume, but women’s and kids Hybrid/Water Shoes still saw double digit increases.
Outdoor Casual Footwear continues to perform well in the market. This category was also driven primarily by men’s product. Much of the growth in the Outdoor categories this month was fueled by strong sales of Outdoor Casual Footwear through the Athletic/Urban Specialty channel. However, Outdoor Specialty Retailers move a much higher volume of this type of product. Water Sandals and Trail Sandals both helped drive the overall footwear results for the month with sales growth in the 30% range for both categories.
Healthy, widespread increase in sales throughout the vast majority of outdoor categories is pushing the industry towards recovery. Other signs pointing toward a healthier market includes mergers & acquisitions activity that is slowly warming up and increased hiring across the market. While the April weather slowed overall retail results, the outdoor market clearly bucked the trend and posted solid sales numbers.
Editor’s Note: Beginning next month, BOSS will use data from the new OIA VantagePoint platform in the monthly retail sales recap…
