Wilson Secures Top Tennis Spot in Q2 Retail Sales Audit

Wilson is the # 1 brand in racquets, strings and footwear according to the latest TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys Specialty Store Retail Audit for second quarter 2003.
Wilson leads the racquet industry with 29.7% share of units sold overall and 29% dollar share in rackets. Prince and Head trail in second and third with 23.3% and 20.7% unit share respectively.

Wilson racquets were 34.7% of units sold in the dollar range of $100 – $199, while Head and Prince again took second and third, respectively with 23% and 22.2%.

And Wilson strings rise to #1 for the first time! Thanks in part to having three of the top five selling strings, Wilson made a big move in the second quarter from 26% to 32.2% for units sold. This positions Wilson ahead of Prince in both the second quarter and year-to-date rankings. The three strings putting Wilson on top are Wilson NXT, selling at #2, Sensation at #3 and Stamina at #5. Stamina moved up from #9 in the previous quarter.

Wilson also continued to dominate the $10 – $15 string category with a second quarter share of 82% of units and 80% of dollars.

“The second quarter TIA numbers for sales to all types of accounts also show us making a BIG share gain,” said John Lyons, Business Director for Accessories. “Our second quarter share of unit sales was 35%, a gain of six share points, and dollar sales reached 34%, a gain of five share points. While the total market was down 8% in units, we were up 12%. While the total market was down 15% in dollars, we were up 1%.”

Wilson footwear is #1! Wilson footwear had 26.5% share for units sold in the second quarter – far and away beating out all other competitors. Prince was closest with 19.7% for units sold.

And year-to-date, Wilson dominates units sold and dollar share. Wilson has 24.4% of units sold and 23.4% of dollars sold, while second-place Prince has only 20.9% of units and 20.4% of dollars.

“Our commitment to excellence in tennis footwear and our drive to develop the best performing shoe has put Wilson in the number one position in the industry. Consumers responded to our dedication and they like what they see, but most importantly they enjoy the way the shoes fit and perform,” said Jack Rohrbach, Business Director for Footwear.