The dollar value of sporting goods imported into the U.S. increased by 7.5% in 2004. Its the third consecutive year of increased value of sports goods. This is the main finding of SGMA Internationals analysis of the U.S. Commerce Departments statistical data on imports of athletic footwear, jogging/warm-up apparel, and 14 sports equipment categories.
SGMA reports that the total declared value of U.S. sporting goods imports for 2004 was $10.426 billion compared with $9.7 billion for 2003.
| Year | Total Imports (Billions) | % Change Prior Year |
| 1993 | $6.881 | + 4.6 |
| 1994 | 6.516 | – 5.3 |
| 1995 | 6.803 | + 4.4 |
| 1996 | 7.220 | + 6.1 |
| 1997 | 7.862 | + 8.9 |
| 1998 | 7.608 | – 3.2 |
| 1999 | 7.556 | – 0.7 |
| 2000 | 8.088 | + 7.0 |
| 2001 | 8.050 | – 0.5 |
| 2002 | 9.006 | +11.9 |
| 2003 | 9.700 | + 7.7 |
| 2004 | 10.426 | + 7.5 |
Total sporting goods equipment imports showed strong growth — up 11.3% in 2004 to total $4.96 billion. Among the major equipment categories, sleeping bags/tents (+26%), gym/exercise equipment (+14.9%), and inflated balls (14.5%) topped the list of growth items. Imports of roller skates (-14.2%), ice hockey (-5.3%) and “other” equipment (-6%) had the largest declines in dollar value.
The sports equipment export leaders are Mainland China (58.9%), Taiwan (8.3%), Canada (3.9%), Mexico (3.8%), and South Korea (1.9%). Chinas share increased from 56% to 59%, slightly less growth than in 2003. Market shares for Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, and South Korea declined in 2004 compared with 2003.
Athletic footwear dollar value totaled $4.4 billion, a 6% increase from 2003. Total athletic footwear pairs imported increased by 4.7% from 394 million pairs in 2003 to 413 million in 2004. The average price per pair increased by 1.2% from $10.52 to $10.65, continuing a trend toward slightly higher prices for a second consecutive year.
Mainland China is the dominant exporter of athletic footwear to the U.S., a market share of 76.7% of the total dollar value in 2004. Chinas share has maintained about a three-quarters share since 2000. Indonesias share fell to 8.8%. Vietnam widened its lead over Thailand for third place with an 8% share and is challenging Indonesia for second place.
2004 |
2003 |
2002 |
|
| 1. Mainland China | 76.7% | 77.6% | 75.7% |
| 2. Indonesia | 8.8 | 11.0 | 13.5 |
| 3. Vietnam | 8.0 | 6.2 | 4.0 |
| 4. Thailand | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.7 |
The U.S. Commerce Departments coverage of athletic clothing and activewear is minimal in relation to the total amount of product actually imported in these categories. But specific import data for jogging/warm-up apparel, such as jackets, pants and sweatshirts is reported. For 2004, the total dollar value for these apparel items was $1.06 billion, a decrease of 2.5% compared with $1.09 billion in 2003.
The statistics on import volume reported by SGMA International, while based on official U.S. Commerce Department data, should not be used as the sole basis for developing an estimate of total sporting goods imports because the product coverage in the report is limited to athletic footwear, archery, baseball, softball, inflated balls, gym/exercise, billiards, bowling, golf, snow ski, racquet sports, fishing tackle, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, roller skates, ice hockey, sports gloves, sports nets, water sports equipment and some miscellaneous sports equipment. Only jogging/warm-up apparel data is available.
|
U.S. Sporting Goods Imports |
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|
(Millions of $ Declared Customs Value, Jan.-December) |
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|
2004 |
2003 |
Change |
|
| Athletic Footwear (non-leather) | $ 1,285.8 |
$ 1,193.6 |
-13.9% |
| Athletic Footwear (leather) | $ 3,113.6 |
$ 2,958.7 |
3.9% |
| Total Athletic Footwear | $ 4,399.4 |
$ 4,152.3 |
-1.9% |
| Jogging/Warm-Up Suits | $ 1,064.0 |
$ 1,091.1 |
14.2% |
| Total Softgoods | $ 5,463.4 |
$ 5,243.4 |
1.1% |
| Archery | $ 28.7 |
$ 23.8 |
20.6% |
| Baseball/Softball | $ 232.8 |
$ 235.6 |
-1.2% |
| Billiard/Bowling | $ 163.2 |
$ 150.3 |
8.6% |
| Fishing Tackle | $ 491.3 |
$ 423.2 |
16.1% |
| Golf | $ 974.2 |
$ 903.1 |
7.9% |
| Gym/Exercise | $1,476.2 | $ 1,285.0 |
14.9% |
| Ice Hockey | $ 131.2 |
$ 138.6 |
-5.3% |
| Inflated Balls | $ 177.3 |
$ 154.9 |
14.5% |
| Racquet Sports | $ 113.1 |
$ 107.1 |
5.6% |
| Rollerskates | $ 89.1 |
$ 103.9 |
-14.2% |
| Snow Ski | $ 296.9 |
$ 256.0 |
16.0% |
| Sleeping Bags/Tents | $ 470.3 |
$ 374.4 |
25.6% |
| Water Sports Equipment |
$ 223.9 |
$ 200.5 |
11.7% |
| Other Equipment | $ 94.2 |
$ 100.2 |
-6.0% |
| Total Sports Equipment | $ 4,962.4 |
$ 4,456.6 |
11.3% |
| Total Sporting Goods Imports | $ 10,425.8 |
$ 9,700.0 |
7.5% |
| Source: U.S. Commerce Department | |||
